The Watcher Of Darkness
by TheBlackNecromancer
Summary: It's six years after the Second War.Severus Snape has returned to Hogwarts to teach Potions, but with dark nightmares haunting him and even darker rumours that claim the Dark Lord has returned, Severus still can't seem to find the peace that he longs for.
1. Chapter 1

_It was dark and storm clouds swirled relentlessly in the sky above. He walked through the muddy field into a darkened forest. He hadn't been here before. As he walked the trees towered far above him in an intimidating manner. Eventually he reached a clearing. There he found about twenty men and women who stood in a circle, their faces covered with cloaks. Dead bodies were piled up haphazardly in the centre of the circle. They had been ripped and torn at to such an extent that the faces were barely recognisable. But there was nobody there he recognised anyway. The blood from the victims saturated the grass underfoot. It bubbled up from the ground and the warm, metallic smell overpowered the senses. He couldn't bear the sight anymore, but still he stumbled forward. Another figure stepped forward into the middle, draped in long black hooded robes. The clearing was silent. The moonlight was the only source of light so he couldn't see the being's face. Something, some presence about this…this thing, told him that he should leave. Now._

_Suddenly, he tripped over an unseen tree root and fell forward with a silent cry into the pile of dead. Lifting his head and looking around in shock he saw the hooded people turn and stare at him. They were laughing. The thing in the black robes turned and moved towards him. It was staring at him, moving closer and closer, reaching out to him with a skeleton-like hand, grabbing him, pulling him, closer and closer and closer until…._

Severus woke with a start. Sweating slightly he reached for his wand and as he waved it the candles in the room burst into flame. He realised he had been trembling and lay slowly back down into his pillows. The now all too familiar feeling of horror washed away from Severus as he remembered were he was. He was in Hogwarts. He was, for the moment, safe. It wasn't the first time he had had this dream, it probably wouldn't be the last time either.

He got up, realising that he probably wouldn't get any more sleep that night. Still it was only half two, perhaps Albus would still be up. The old fool had asked him once why he didn't take a sleeping potion to try and stop the dreams, but Severus knew that this was a bad idea for two reasons. Firstly, he couldn't risk not realising that the dark mark on his arm was burning again, and therefore potentially miss an important Death Eater meeting. The Dark Lord would not be amused if this happened - that is, if he ever actually returns. Secondly, he could risk sleeping in for work, although Albus pointed out that the Gryffindors would find the fact that their 'favourite' potions teacher had slept in and was late for class rather amusing. Lord forbid that either should ever happen.

Severus grimaced slightly at his last thought as he pulled on his black robes and draped a cloak over his shoulders. Passing a mirror on the way out he looked briefly into it, and looking at the reflection he saw a man with a long, pale face and lank black hair hanging in strands and sticking to his face. The eyes stared back at him coldly but then he looked at the reflection with a rather amused expression on his face. His greasy hair looked even worse than normal. _'Ah well',_ Severus thought to himself, _'If I'm lucky perhaps I'll see some trouble-making Gryffindor on my way and scare them half to death. Could be rather amusing'_.

Brightening up considerably at the prospect of deducting some house points, he headed out the room and went in search of Dumbledore's office.

Dumbledore looked up from the letter he was reading as Severus stalked into the room. He hadn't arrived in the best of moods after walking right into Filch the caretaker, who was on his nightly patrols of the castle, on the way to Dumbledore's office.

"Off any were interesting?" Filch had sneered, inches away from his face.

"Because that any of your business?" Severus had replied levelly with a cold stare.

"Alright professor, keep yer socks on, I was just wonderin' "

"Well you can go and do your wondering elsewhere" Severus had snapped at him, "Or else I'll be more than happy to hex you and that bloody cat of yours". Ms Norris hissed softly at him. "Fine, fine! Be like that…" Filch rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath as he slowly shuffled away and let the professor past. Severus swept past him and walked swiftly away. He had sighed wearily as he continued up the darkened corridor. _'God, I wouldn't mind giving that cat of his a good kick one of these days' _Severus thought darkly to himself, _'And the same goes with that Filch'_.

Severus was brought back to the present by an enquiring glance from the headmaster.

"And to what, exactly, do I owe the pleasure of another late night visit from you, Severus?"

Severus grimaced inwardly as he was reminded that this wasn't the first time he had came here for advice since the dreams had started.

"Well…it's those dreams again actually" Severus began, rather embarrassed. _'I'm a bloody Death Eater for god's sake; I shouldn't be scared of a few silly nightmares' _was the first thought that came into his head. _'Well, I can't exactly turn back now, can I?' _was the second.

"Still bothering you are they?"

Severus nodded slowly, walking over and sitting down. "I'm still sure they're a warning of some sort"

Dumbledore chuckled softly. "But the real problem is, you don't know what they are trying to warn you about, am I correct?"

"Yes, I suppose you're right" Severus agreed somewhat reluctantly. "It's just, I've seen death and violence before, It shouldn't bother me - but these dreams are…well…they're different" he finished rather lamely, looking down at ground.

"I see" the headmaster replied softly.

"I'm not scared of them!" Severus suddenly growled, standing up and staring at the professor angrily, as though challenging him to disagree. "They're just a nuisance, that's all, nothing more!"

"I never said you _were_ scared, Severus" Dumbledore replied gently, looking over his half-moon spectacles at him.

"Well…" Severus looked away from the professor. He knew fine well that what Albus was thinking. He could see it in his eyes. He thought that he was scared. That he was weak. It was at times like these that the headmaster could irritate Severus to no end. Severus wanted to scream at him, shout at him, but he knew there wasn't any point. As much as he loathed to admit it to himself, he actually needed Dumbledore's help. Not that he would ever, ever, ever admit it to another living soul, of course. And especially not Albus Dumbledore himself.

Severus sat down, crossed his arms and glared haughtily at the letter in Dumbledore's hand, as though it had been the letter itself that had accused him of being weak.

"Anything interesting?" Severus sneered at the letter.

"Well actually…" Dumbledore smiled at Severus, "I've finally secured two teachers for the vacant posts we had last term."

"You found someone willing to teach Defence Against The Dark Arts?" Severus raised his eyebrows sceptically.

"Indeed, he's taught here before so I know he's up to the task."

"Hmmm…" Severus raised his eyebrows even further, "Care to expand?"

"Remus Lupin" was Dumbledore's only reply.

"The werewolf!" Severus exclaimed loudly, clearly shocked. "But…but the parents, they won't want _him _teaching their children!"

"I think you will find that attitudes toward werewolves have changed quite a bit since Remus's involvement in the Second War-"

"But, but…" Severus hadn't seen Remus for years now. Would he still be as insufferably kind as last time? Probably. Still, Severus couldn't see any way around it. If he was the only one willing to take DADA post then…

"Yes?" Dumbledore glanced at Severus inquiringly.

"Hmph… I suppose you'll want me to brew the wolfsbane potion again?" Severus muttered, defeated, looking back at the letter and not wanting to meet the professors' gaze.

"That would be great!" Dumbledore exclaimed, grinning at Severus enthusiastically.

Severus simply rolled his eyes, "What about the other teacher?" he enquired, trying to move the subject on swiftly, "A vampire perhaps?" he muttered to himself.

"Do you remember Hermione Granger?"

"The irritating Know-It-All? Unfortunately, yes."

"Well, she's going to be our new Ancient Runes professor"

"Indeed." Severus raised his eyebrows again, "Well, as long as she doesn't bring Potter and Weasley with her. I don't think they ever quite forgave me for 'killing' you"

Dumbledore chuckled. "I think you'd find that people don't actually hate you as much as you would think. Some within the Order actually consider you a sort of 'hero'."

'_Really? Tell that to the people that send me the hate mail each day…' _Severus thought inwardly. In an outward response to Dumbledore's statement he merely laughed humourlessly.

A few hours later Severus stood up, brushing some invisible dirt off his robes. "Well, this year should be…interesting. The werewolf and Hermione Granger.", he spoke, his voice full of disdain. "Remind me exactly why I ever came back here?" Severus sighed to himself, shook his head and turned to stride out the room.

"Did you know that Ron and Hermione got married last year?" Dumbledore asked suddenly.

"No" Severus spun round to face the headmaster. "That does surprise me" he looked at the professor. "I wouldn't have thought that… well, you know? Those two…together-" Severus didn't know how to finish. He wasn't exactly an expert in _that_ area. Painful memories of a girl with red hair were trying to resurface, but Severus pushed them away without even thinking about it. He was used to the pain now.

Dumbledore just shrugged. The headmaster was obviously thought Severus was not willing to talk about it any further. Severus bade the old professor goodnight, turned around and walked out the room, deep in thought. He wondered why the headmaster had thought to mention this to him. He couldn't care less who, or what, the girl had married.

'_Still, Ron Weasley! What was she thinking?' _Severus shook his head again, not noticing as he walked across the entrance hall and back to the dungeons, that a dark figure was standing in the shadows, watching him with a pair of blood red eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione climbed up the stone stairs leading to Hogwarts castle. She wasn't in the best of moods, as it was pouring down with rain and thunder rumbled ominously in the background. Her clothes were soaked from head-to-toe and her curly brown hair clung to her face and neck. Reaching the top of the stairs she headed into the entrance hall as fast as she could to escape the torrential downpour, with her suitcase following behind her. Once she got inside she waved he wand and the suitcase fell to the ground.

Hermione looked around, pleased to be back in her old school again, but also extremely nervous. What would it be like working beside her old teachers? She was looking forward to seeing some of them, Remus or Dumbledore for example. On the other hand she wasn't looking forward to seeing others. Take for example Severus Snape, with his snide comments and rude remarks. No matter how hard she had tried her best in potions, he always found a new way to put her down and hurt her feelings. She had grown to hate him for it, and the idea of seeing him again… well it made the butterflies she was currently feeling in her stomach (due to nerves), turn into something more akin to a swarm of wasps.

Hermione looked over at the front doors and saw another drenched figure walking over to her. On closer inspection she realised it was her former DADA teacher, Remus Lupin, who smiled warmly at her through a curtain of wet hair.

"Hermione! How are you?"

"Great thanks" Hermione smiled back at him, noting that Remus looked a lot better off than he had been a few years ago. Obviously Tonks had been taking good care of him.

"Great weather we're having…" Remus added sarcastically, while pulling out his wand and starting to dry off his clothes.

"Tell me about it" she rolled her eyes and watched as the steam rose off his robes. "So how's Tonks doing?"

"Oh, she's doing well" Remus smiled again fondly, " Well… She's actually pregnant again…"

"Congratulations! That's great!"

Remus shrugged and looked down at the floor, rather embarrassed but obviously pleased, "So… How's Ron doing?"

It was Hermione's turn to look embarrassed, "He's…he's fine" she mumbled awkwardly.

Remus looked slightly puzzled but didn't enquire any further, "well, I'm glad to hear-"

"Sorry to interrupt this obviously touching scene, but Dumbledore has given me the delightful task of showing you both to your classrooms" a voice sneered from behind her.

Hermione spun around to find her old potions professor leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and his lank black hair hanging over his face. His black eyes stared at her and Remus with a look of undisguised contempt and Hermione noted that under his eyes there were dark lines, as though he hadn't been sleeping well. Her stomach had jumped at the sight of him, and she was hoping that she wouldn't have to stay too long around him. _'He still hasn't lost his arrogant manner…' _she thought angrily, the familiar hatred starting to resurface again at the sight of him. But when she looked closer she realised his skin was a sickly pallor and he was even thinner than the last time she had saw him. It looked as though he had been ill for along time. She almost pitied him.

'_Perhaps he's changed since the war'_ a small voice in the back of her head whispered quietly.

'_Of course he hasn't! He's still the pig-headed git he always was!_' she told the voice firmly.

"Miss Granger, please stop staring into thin air and listen for once" Snape snapped at her, coming away form the wall and striding towards them, "You might have nothing better to do with your time, but I on the other hand have better things to do than to be your and the werewolf's tour guide. Now, if you could pay attention and follow me it would be most useful" he finished up standing in front of them, looking for a moment at Hermione, rather strangely.

"Good to see you too, Severus." Remus replied quietly with an unfathomable expression on his face. Severus snorted and stared at him with an almost pitying look. He then shook his head, turned around and headed up the grand staircase, obviously expecting them to follow. Hermione sighed, waved her wand at the luggage and started to follow on behind Remus, their two suitcases behind them floating along in mid-air.

…

Severus sank into the chair behind his desk and sipped the fire whisky he'd just poured for himself. It had been a hellish day. When Dumbledore requested Severus to meet the two new teachers and escort them to their classrooms, he had been going to point-blank refuse. After all he hadn't slept at all last night and even if he had slept he knew that those dreams would have just haunted him again. All throughout the summer holidays and even now, a couple of days before the start of the term, the nightmares had been bothering him. He was at the point of not sleeping at all and on top of that he still didn't have a clue about what the dreams meant.

He had often wondered if they were because of the rumours going around about the Dark Lord supposedly returning. Severus had dismissed them at first as being complete rubbish - after all he had seen Voldemort's dead body with his own eyes. But last week Dumbledore himself had admitted to Severus that he was concerned about another Death Eater uprising, although if the Dark Lord had returned or if someone else had taken his place, Albus still wasn't sure. Either way, another uprising would be deadly for Severus, because even if the Dark Lord hadn't returned, the Death Eaters would want him to return and help fight. The ones locked up in Azkaban didn't know that Severus had been the architect of Voldemort's downfall. Although on the other hand, if the Dark Lord had returned….well, the whole lot of them would be after his blood. Fantastic.

In the end, despite his best intentions to refuse the headmaster, Severus's curiosity had got the better of him. He had been curious as to how Lupin had adjusted to life after the War. And he was also slightly curious to see how Hermione Granger was coping. After all, the girl certainly had brains, it was just a shame she hadn't been a Slytherin, she could have gone far in life. Instead, she had ended up being married to Ron Weasley, who in Severus's mind was about as likely to have an intelligent conversation as a teapot.

Severus sighed to himself and leaned back in his chair. He had been quite shocked to see how Hermione looked now. She had looked a lot more mature than she had the last time he had saw her. She now held herself more proudly when she walked through the castle and, being a man, Severus couldn't help but noticed that she looked more…well more like a woman now. But what had startled Severus the most was her eyes. When she had been at school they had always been filled with constant curiosity, unwavering loyalty and a burning thirst for knowledge. The loyalty had always irritated Severus, as it was the mark of a true Gryffindor, but the thirst for knowledge on the other hand, Severus had always quite admired in the young girl.

However, now her eyes looked completely dead, almost although she had lost the will to live. Severus had much the same look about him, but he was friendless and pretty much alone in the world. Hermione on the other hand, was famous for the part she played in the war. People respected and admired her and she had a group of friends that were willing to die for her. She was even married to someone that up till now, Severus had presumed that she must love. Now he wasn't so sure. He had mentioned the fact she had changed a lot to Lupin once they were alone, but he had merely shook his head sadly and muttered, "I know as much as you do Severus…" and shrugged awkwardly.

Severus stood up, drained the last of his Fire whisky and headed through to his classroom. He didn't like to dwell on the troubles of others for too long, and besides, he had to get this Wolfsbane potion finished before the next full moon. As, he headed out however, he felt a cold breeze dance across his face and out of the corner of his eye he saw someone standing behind him. He spun around and came face to face with nothing. There was no one there. Severus cursed under his breath and stalked back out the room. He was imagining things again, he was sure about it. It must be his mind playing tricks…

'_What else could it be?'_

He glanced around the room again before slamming the door shut on the way out.


	3. Chapter 3

Warning: May contain DH Spoilers!

……

Hermione sighed to herself as she headed down the grand staircase. The first four weeks of her job had been hectic but she'd loved every minute of it. Hermione finally felt as though she had her own life back, something she thought she would never have after being married to Ron for over three years.

Hermione loved Ron. After all he was funny and good fun to be around. Or at least he used to be. Things started to changed when they got married. She had always known that Ron had faults, after all she had known him for over seven years. But when she had tried to live with them twenty-four hours a day, every day of the week… well, basically it had pushed her to the edge of sanity.

Today she was finally going to see him again; it would be the first time she had seen him since her new job started and she didn't know what to expect. She was meeting him in half an hour outside 'The Three Broomsticks', and walking along beside the students she was accompanying to Hogsmeade, she was far too immersed in her own thoughts to pay much attention to the people around her.

Half an hour later, Hermione sat down at a spare table in the pub and waited for Ron to make an appearance. She was sitting there for over twenty minutes when she saw a cloaked figure entering the room. She stood up thinking it was her _darling_ husband Ronald finally making an appearance. _'Better late than never, I suppose'. _However, as he pulled his hood down from his face she sat down just as quickly as had she stood up. Hermione realised that it wasn't her husband, but in fact Severus Snape, who was heading toward the bar with a rather surly expression on his face. _'He obviously doesn't like the company of normal people, so I fail to see why he actually bothers to come in to the village'. _Hermione rolled her eyes and watched him as he ordered a drink from the bar, and she continued to watch him as he paid for it and looked around, trying to find a seat in the crowded pub.

Unfortunately Severus noticed her sitting in the corner and Hermione realised, blushing, that she had been caught staring at him again. Looking down at her drink she hastily took a sip and prayed silently for the ground to swallow her up.

"Mind if I join you, Miss Granger?" a voice commented from beside her.

Hermione looked up, startled, as she saw that Severus was now at her table. She shrugged as he proceeded to sit on the chair opposite. _'God, I wonder what _he_ wants…'_

"Waiting for Mr Weasley, were we?" he looked at her curiously.

"Emm…yeah I was actually," Hermione answered honestly, "But he's almost half an hour late…" she added without even thinking. _'Why did I tell him that? It's not as though he cares about my problems!' _But to her surprise Severus merely laughed and took a sip of his drink. He then looked out the window for a minute before continuing.

"Hermione, you do realise he most likely got lost on his way here, found himself in the sweet shop, discovered the Sugar-Coated Quills and has now forgotten all about meeting his wife-"

"I really doubt that Severus!" Hermione interrupted quickly, "He probably got delayed at the Ministry, I mean… he does a lot of hard work there!" Hermione finished by glared at him, no longer making any real pretence of friendliness.

"Oh, really?" Severus raised his eyebrows sceptically and leaned back in his seat.

"Yes!" Hermione exclaimed angrily, "And besides, I don't see how my husband, or his faults, are any of your business!"

"Well it's not really any of my business, but…" Severus paused for a minute thoughtfully. "I'm still trying to figure out how you could stand marrying him in the first place you see…" Severus finished quietly, looking her in the eye. He didn't appear to be asking questions for the sake of irritating her, but it still annoyed Hermione that he was asking at all. It was nothing to do with him…

"Perhaps because I loved him, ever thought of that?". Hermione finally snapped at him. "Although, knowing you Severus Snape, you probably don't even understand the bloody concept of love!". Severus cringed visibly at the accusation before looking away and then finally looking up at her. His black eyes were painfully cold, his expression was unreadable. Hermione stopped there, but she could sense that she had already gone too far.

He stood up and, sweeping his long black hair away from his face, he turned to her and smiled darkly. "Miss Granger, once again you acted like the Know-It-All you are, and once again you've got it wrong. Still, I do hope you have enough brains to notice that your husband can't seem to tell the difference between yourself and the bar maid over there…" he laughed harshly before walking away from her table, leaving her trying to decipher his last remark.

'_What did he…Oh." _Hermione saw what he had meant. Her husband had not only been in the bar but was now standing chatting to the young blond, nineteen year old barmaid. She had been too busy talking to Snape to notice him coming in. _'I hate it when Severus is right'_, Hermione thought to herself miserably. She stood up again and marched over to her husband. Hermione wasn't going to let him get away with this sort of behaviour that easily…

……

Severus had found a seat on the other side of the pub, and was watching half-heartedly as Hermione pulled her husband away from the irritating witch who was at the bar. He couldn't take much pleasure in watching Ron Weasley being ripped to pieces by his wife, however; he was too busy being annoyed with himself. Why did he have to go and open his big mouth? Why did he even bother going over to her in the first place? He had felt sorry for her, waiting in the corner like that. Although up till now Severus's instincts had always told him that sympathy was never, ever a good idea. But for some reason he had still felt the need to go over and speak to her.

'_Perhaps I'm getting soft in my old age…'_ Severus considered, a bitter smile playing on his lips as he watched Ron and Hermione head out of the pub, neither of them looking particularly happy. When he had went over he had been planning to make a couple of jokes at Weasley's expense in the hope it might lighten her mood a bit, but the look on Hermione's face when he had mentioned her husband's name had been more than enough to kill any sarcastic comments he had prepared. She had looked so damn miserable that it had been quite painful to watch. '_There you go, feeling sorry for people again!' _the voice in the back of his head warned him. _'Keep on going that way Severus and you'll be taking flowers to the werewolf and giving chocolates out to the students!'._

In the end, Severus couldn't resist having a go at Ron after he had heard that he was half an hour late, it had seemed too good an opportunity to miss. However, Hermione on the other hand, hadn't see the humorous side to it. And when she had tried to tell him that Ron Weasley worked hard at the Ministry… Severus almost started laughing out loud (Now that certainly would have scared any students in the nearby vicinity). The mere idea that Ron Weasley had ever done a single day's hard work was quite laughable in Severus's opinion.

But obviously Hermione didn't share the same opinion on the matter. Or more likely, she simply wouldn't admit it out loud to him. Either way, he had found the whole situation rather amusing. Well, until she had made that comment about him and not being able to understand love.

On the contrary, he had loved Lilly Evans more than life itself. Every time he thought about her it felt like someone was plunging a red-hot blade into his body, twisting it deeper and deeper, until there were times when he couldn't stand the pain. Helping to defeat voldemort had made him feel slightly better. At least now he could start to forgive himself for her death. But even so, he knew he still could never stop loving her - it was physically impossible for him. Severus had given in to this truth along time ago, and nowadays he very rarely noticed that the blade was being twisted. He had really gone beyond caring at all about the pain, and well...beyond caring about anything else really.

Severus stood up, drained the last of his whisky and pulled his cloak hood back over his face. Hermione's comment had still hurt him, although more because he hadn't been expecting it than anything else. He walked out the pub and turned up the cobbled street, back in the direction of Hogwarts castle. He was planning to go up and see Remus tonight, to give him the finished wolfsbane potion. Glancing in the distance to his right, he saw two figures in the rain that appeared to be arguing with each other. Severus was sure that one smaller one was Hermione. _'Well, its none of my business anyway,' _Severus thought to himself. But as he looked away he realised he had seen a tall, black cloaked figure standing not far from Hermione. He looked back quickly, but there was no one there. Could he have imagined it? Could it have been a Death Eater? Severus wasn't sure.

_Still paranoid, aren't we?' _the voice it the back of his mind whispered to him mockingly.

Severus shook his head and kept on walking up the muddy path. _'Of course I'm still bloody paranoid!' _he told the voice in reply. _'What do you expect?!'_


	4. Chapter 4

Remus shook his head sadly as he skimmed through the last few pages of the Daily Prophet. '_Three dead…one seriously injured…and that's this week alone…'_ . He sighed and folded up the paper, placing it on the desk beside his half-drunk cup of tea. This was how it all started the last time. The Death Eater attacks. First there would be the odd death, nothing all that suspicious, certainly not front page news. Then they would increase slowly, until the Ministry started to get suspicious. Even then the Ministry wouldn't make their concerns public. _'After all,'_ Remus thought sarcastically, 'There's_ no need to alarm people…'. _Remus smiled bitterly,_ 'Until they start killing left, right and centre that is…_'.

Although there was one small difference between then and now. Voldemort hadn't been dead the first two times. And Remus felt this was the biggest mystery of it all: Who was the new leader behind the attacks? An old Death Eater? A new one? And that's providing that it is the Death Eaters after all. _'But Dumbledore seems pretty certain that it is the Death Eaters…' _Remus considered, _'Still, all the same…'_

A sharp knock at the door interrupted Remus's thoughts. _'Speaking of Death Eaters…'_ He smiled wryly and got up from his armchair to open the door. He could tell it was the potions master from the way he knocked; it was a straight, to the point, no nonsense knock. It was Severus Snape all over. Remus's suspicions were confirmed when he opened the door and found the tall, black-robed man standing directly in front of him. As always Severus greeted him with a mere nod and swept past him, Wolfsbane potion in his right hand and a rather bored expression on his face. Remus was never hurt by the lack of greeting, or the hostile looks he got. He knew from past experience that it was simply Severus's way of putting up with an uncomfortable situation. Remus guessed this was in turn caused by the fact that he himself reminded the former Death Eater of their shared high school years, something that Remus didn't really like to think of either. The way his friends had treated Severus, it had been…well, inexcusable. Since they had both been in the Order together and fought side by side, Remus had always treated the man with respect. In return Severus had started to treat Remus with respect too, albeit rather grudgingly. They weren't best of friends, not by any stretch of the imagination, but Remus knew that any sign of respect from Severus Snape - however grudgingly it was given - was quite an impressive achievement.

"Been reading the Daily Prophet, have we?" Severus inquired from across the room, looking at the upside-down newspaper on his desk with a slight frown.

Remus nodded, "Three deaths in one week, it's…"

"Rather worrying?" Severus finished for him.

"To say the least…" Remus sighed and started to walk over to the desk.

Severus turned around suddenly and looked at Remus. His black eyes stared darkly at him and he looked as though he was trying to make a decision. After a minute he spoke.

"Lupin, I am… well, under the impression… that you, you know Miss Granger quite well…am I correct?" he finished rather hesitantly.

Remus was taken completely by surprise. That was certainly not what he was expecting. "I suppose so…yes," he replied carefully, "Why do you ask?"

Severus dropped his gaze and walked round to the other side of the desk. He picked up the paper from Remus's desk and unfolded it as though he was about to read it, staring at the black and white pictures for a moment before speaking. "A few days ago, I saw her outside in the village as I was walking back to the castle," he continued, "And…beside her, just for a moment, I thought…" Severus looked up from the paper, "Well… I thought I saw a cloaked figure standing beside her, just for a moment, then it was gone…"

"And…" Remus sensed there was more to the encounter than Severus was letting on.

"And I wondered if she had mentioned it to you, at all?" Severus finished awkwardly, looking down at the paper again. His lank black hair hung in front of his eyes as he lent against the desk for support. He was obviously regretting starting the conversation, and Remus could understand why.

"Well, I can't say she has mentioned it to me at all…are you sure that-"

"Of course I'm sure I saw it, werewolf!" Severus clenched his fists, crushing the newspaper in his hand, "Do you really think I would be asking you, otherwise?". He glared at Remus angrily for several seconds, before turning away again.

Remus shook his head sadly, "I'm sorry Severus, I haven't heard anything…wait, that does remind me of something," he smiled as he recalled a forgotten conversation from not too long ago with Hermione. "She did mention that she hadn't been sleeping that well recently" Remus started to explain, "She mentioned something about some sort of strange dream she kept on having-"

"What!" Severus had jumped up as though scalded and coming back round the other side of the desk he was now advancing rapidly on Remus with a deeply disturbing expression on his pale face. "What kind of dreams?" He whispered, inches away from Remus's face. "Tell me!"

"Emm…I don't know, something about a dark forest… And a man, a man with bloody red eyes!" Remus stuttered, positively frightened at Severus's reaction, "And she said that when she woke up she, she thought she saw someone standing, leaning over her...but she told me she thought she had imagined it-"

"How long?" Severus growled softly.

"Severus I honestly don't know…" Remus had started to back away from him, "Now can you please tell me what the hell is going on?"

But Severus didn't have an answer. He shoved Remus out of the way and strode out the room, into the empty hallway and up the nearest staircase. Remus stared after him for several seconds in shock. He pulled himself together after a moment and ran to his desk, grabbed his wand, knocking the cup of tea off his desk in the process. He sprinted into the hallway and after the potions master, and as he left he heard a resounding crash from behind him as the porcelain teacup shattered against the stone floor.

………………………..

Severus hurried around the last corner and reached the large oak door with the words: _Professor Granger's Office, _inscribed into a plaque at eye level. He reached for the brass door handle, but paused instead of turning it. His hunch could be nothing, a figment of an overactive imagination. Or it could be everything. _'Well, there's only one way to find out'_. Severus took a deep breath before turning the handle. He pushed the door and it swung open slowly with an uneasy groan of complaint. He had half expected to find her sitting in a chair at her desk, marking papers or reading a book. He had pictured her looking up at him with a bemused expression on her face, trying to figure out why he of all people, had chosen to interrupt her at this time. He had even made excuses up as to why he had chosen to interrupt her in the first place. What he hadn't counted on was the scene of complete destruction that had met his eyes when he had opened that door.

Furniture was broken into bits and strewn around the office. A pile of papers lay beside an upturned desk, covered in crimson blood stains. That wasn't what disturbed Severus the most, however. What disturbed him was that Hermione Granger's body lay in the middle of all the debris, her robes ripped and bloody and leaning over her with its back to him was the black cloaked figure. It turned and stared at him with mixture of both irritation and amusement. Its face was mostly hooded, but Severus could still see the eyes of the creature. They were the very blood red that Remus had described and they burned with a cold demonic fire that simply chilled him to look at. The teeth of the creature were pointed and gleamed in the torchlight as it stood up and smiled at him coldly.

'_You're too late I'm afraid, the girl's soul is almost gone,' _a voice in Severus's head whispered to him.

"No!" Severus hissed at the creature. The creature laughed at him mockingly.

'_Oh yes, I'm afraid so,' _the voice in his head added softly.

The creature started walking over to him. Severus was paralysed from fear. And it was then that he realised what was happening. The voice in his head was in fact a female's. It was coming from the creature in front of him. How could it…she get into his head that easily?

"Impossible!" he whispered softly.

The shock of hearing his own voice brought him back to life, and grabbing his wand out of his pocket, he pointed it at the female. She laughed again before looking back down at Hermione.

'_I'll be back for the girl, my little dark one, and then…then it will be your turn!'_ the creature smiled again darkly as, before Severus's eyes, she faded away into nothing.

"What the hell was that thing?" a voice exclaimed from behind him. Severus spun round to find an extremely shaken Remus standing behind him. Severus ignored him as he ran over to Hermione's body. He put his hand to her neck and noticed a small wound at the side. He went to check her pulse. Nothing. The seconds started to tick by. Still. Nothing.

Suddenly, there was a faint thump. Then, another. Severus let out a sigh of relief.

"She's…she's alive…" he told Remus in a whisper.

"Thank goodness!" the Remus muttered from over his shoulder, "I'll run and get Madam Pomfrey just now-"

"No, I don't think there's time," Severus didn't take his eyes off her for a second. "Listen to me. Go to Hermione's room and fetch a blanket, a bowl of water and a cloth."

"Severus I-"

"Just do it!" he hissed angrily at the man behind him. Severus then watched Remus until he disappeared into the next room. Once he was gone he picked Hermione's lifeless form from the stone floor and prepared to take her back to his rooms. He'd had an idea.

"'_The girl's soul is almost gone'_"

The words of the demon were being repeated constantly in his head.

"'_The girl's soul is almost gone'_"

Severus hoped his new hunch was correct. The poor girl's life now depended on it.


	5. Chapter 5

Just a quick apology for not updating in a while, and also to say that I've made a trailer for this fanfiction,

uk. youtube. com /user/kathrynann1112  
(You'll have to take out the spaces for the link to work)

so feel free to check it out and tell me what you think!

Secondly, "The Five' F's' of Dragonology" (See below) is from an actual book by the name of "Dragonology: The Complete Book Of Dragons", just in case anyone was interested.

_..._

_The screaming…the pain….the darkness. All of it swirled around in her head; Constantly going round and round; and every so often there was the murmur of hushed voices, always much too quiet to understand. And then there was the laughter. The hideous, screeching, maniacal laughter that wouldn't go away. _

_..._

Severus paced up and down the small room restlessly like a caged animal. It had been several days since the attack and although his hunch about Hermione being poisoned had been correct, his assumption that he would be able to cure her had not been. She had lain in a death-like slumber ever since, and any potions or spells he had tried had had next to no effect whatsoever. He was a potions master and also an experienced healer, but nothing he tried so far had worked. It maddened Severus that he couldn't help. Even Dumbledore himself had admitted that if Severus couldn't help her, then no-one could.

He stopped his relentless pacing for a moment and turned look down at the girl lying on his bed. Her face was a sickly pallor and her skin glistened with sweat. Bending down he picked up a wet cloth form a bowl of icy water and kneeling beside her, he moved the stray strands of hair away from her face and gently dabbed her forehead with it.

Severus had been through so much over the years, and just when he had been hoping that it was all over and done with, that demon-like thing had came along and wrecked any chance of peace and quiet with these nightmares that were still haunting him. He wanted revenge for what had happened to him; and now, with fate of Hermione irrevocably linked to the creature, he was determined not to let the demon win. At any cost.

……

_There it was, the laughter again. It hurt to listen to, but there was no escape from it. She heard the murmuring voices again; it was like running water in a stream. She listened. They brought some relief form the pain, the voices. _

_..._

Remus lifted yet another leather-bound tome from the dusty shelves that lined the school library. In between running countless errands for Severus, teaching and coping with the side effects of being a werewolf, he had been trying to find out what exactly the creature that attacked Hermione was in the hope that he might find a way to cure her. So far, he'd had no luck whatsoever. Dropping the large book onto the nearest desk with a distinct thud he sat down and started to skim through the contents page of his current volume of choice, moving his finger down the page and muttering to himself as he read some of the more unusual titles.

_Nessie: The Truth Behind the Tartan. _

"Nope," he murmured out loud.

_Trollspotting: an Enthusiasts guide._

"Certainly hope not,"

_Werewolves: A Tale of Two Moons_

Remus chuckled, "I don't think so…"

_Dragons: The Five 'F's of Dragonology (By Dr. Ernest Drake)_

"Lord forbid…"

And so he continued, with only the swirling particles dust that showed up in the lamplight for company.

A few hours later, Remus sighed dejectedly and lent back as he prepared to give up on yet another book. However, a title he had missed caught his eye just as he was about to slam the book shut.

_Vampires: Misunderstood Denizens Of the Night?, _it read.

"I wonder…" Remus mused as he started turning the pages.

'_123...124...127...133...,' _he muttered, turning the pages, _'There…'_. He moved the lamp closer to the page and began reading.

………………

_It was night time at Hogwarts. The darkness lay around the castle like a thick blanket, muffling all noise or activity from within. The silence was overwhelming. Not even the forest stirred as he walked among the tall boughs of the trees that were scattered around him like wooden statues in a courtyard of earth and stone. It was peaceful, but something nagged at the back of his mind. He couldn't quite figure out what it was however, so he kept on walking. He reached the top of a small hill and decided to sit on the grass, facing the castle. The grass was damp and felt cold to the touch as he spread his fingers out on the ground. It was ever so peaceful here. A cool, silent breeze played across his face and blew his hair in front of his eyes. He reached up to tuck it behind his ears, but as he did so he realised someone was sitting on the grass opposite him._

_It was a woman, but like none he'd ever seen before. Her silvery hair flowed around he shoulders and down to her waist and her eyes were a soft grey colour. Looking down at her pale skin, he saw there were patterns that swirled and twisted around her, constantly moving and changing, giving her the appearance of both solidness and transparency at the same time. She sat cross legged and was dressed in a multitude of softly coloured cloths. He continued to stare at the constantly changing patterns, until he was interrupted by her soft, musical voice drifting across to him._

"_Good evening, Severus."_

_Her looked up at her, not sure what to say. She smiled warmly at him._

"_I've been looking for you." She stood up and walked over to him. "I have a message from the Old One."_

_Severus finally found his voice. "The Old One?" he enquired slowly, puzzled._

_She shook her head, looking rather sadly at him. "This message is for you._

'_Forget everything you have known. _

_Everything is nothing. Nothing is everything._

_The Wounds of the old world have been reopened._

_They bleed Death and Despair.'"_

"_What's that supposed to mean?" Severus sneered at her. _

_She stepped back from him suddenly, a fearful look in her eye, and all around him the world started to fall apart._

"_Wait! I-" He reached forward as if to grab her, but there was nothing there. A maniacal laughter filled his ears as nothingness descended upon him, and he heard someone shouting his name. _

"_Severus, Severus!" it called urgently. He was falling into darkness. Blackness. Nothing._

Severus opened his eyes and blinked several times, adjusting to the light. Groggily he made to sit up, but recoiled back in shock as he came face to face with a haggard looking man who was far too close for comfort.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Remus!" Severus growled furiously when he realised who it was.

"Thank God you're awake! I came down to find you, and you were talking in your sleep, and-"

"…and for some unknown reason you felt the apparent need to cause me an untimely death due to a bloody heart attack?" Severus interrupted sarcastically, meanwhile trying to salvage whatever dignity he had left. He got up from the armchair he had evidently fallen asleep in, and made to walk over to the bed in the corner.

"Well, I've got some good news," Remus started to explain rather timidly.

"Oh, really? How nice for you…" was the sarcastic reply from the other side of the room.

"I think I may have found a way to save Hermione," Remus whispered softly, still standing beside the chair. The effect it had on Severus was electric.

"What!" Severus spun round to face the werewolf, all sarcasm forgotten. "Well, what is it?"

……………

_They had been getting clearer, the voices. She strained to listen, and this time she caught one or two words. 'Cloth'…'too late'…'water'…'useless'…'blood'…The disjointed phrases made no sense. She could smell something warm, metallic. But before she could decide what it was, she slipped back into darkness again. _

_..._


	6. Chapter 6

I would just like to say thanks for all the great reviews I've had, and a big thanks to all my regular readers! Also I should really apologise for any delays in my updating….

But anyway, on with the story…

**……………………………..**

How long was it since he had slept? Since he had eaten? Since he had left that room?

Severus couldn't quite remember. He had lost track of any measure of time. The only way he knew that time was passing at all was due to Hermione's laboured breathing.

A breath in. A breath out. He watched her unconscious body on the bed move up and down slowly, rhythmically. Her breathing was now constant and had been sounding better every day, but admittedly that was mainly due to Remus.

'_Insufferable Werewolf…'_

Severus looked up from his favoured armchair as he watched his bedroom door swing ajar and watched silently as the rather worn out werewolf in question trailed into the room and flung himself into the nearest chair.

"Make yourself at home then." Severus commented dryly.

Remus ignored him. "How is she?" he enquired apprehensively.

"Still unconscious. But her breathing seems to have improved"

"So she's not any worse. That's good." Remus nodded, speaking mostly to himself.

It had only been yesterday when Remus had come running into the room, claiming to have found a cure for Hermione. Severus hadn't believed it at first. Remus had suggested that they drained all of the blood from Hermione's body till she was close to the point of death. They would then transfer someone else's blood into the body, causing the poison inside her to be diluted. They would do this again over several days, until the poison was diluted to the point of non existence. It had seemed so simple. So muggle-like. So old fashioned and barbaric. But perhaps that was the key to its success.

He said he'd found it after reading through a section on vampires, because although the creature clearly wasn't a typical vampire there were certain parallels between the two creatures. As for the blood-draining plan, Remus had got the idea from some muggle book that had also been recommended in the vampire section. _'What was it called again? "Dracula" I think it was…' _

At that moment he heard a stirring from the corner of the room and looked up in shock to find Hermione's eyes attempting to flutter open. Severus couldn't believe it.

'_This was it…. _

_Finally…_

_After all this time…_

_She's actually waking up…'_

Severus watched tensely as she moved her head from side to side, looking around the room confusedly.

He was silent as her eyes first caught Remus's, who in turn smiled back at her warmly, the first genuine smile he had seen from Remus in days. Her eyes took in the darkened room slowly, with a look of puzzlement appearing on her face as she tried to figure out where she was. It was only when she finally noticed him sitting like a cold statue in the corner, that her face turned to one of complete amazement and wonder. Her soft brown eyes stared into his, full of pain and sorrow. They were locked in a silent conversation, an unspoken agreement; he couldn't seem to look away.

**……………………….**

Hermione couldn't believe it. Her saviour, the voice that had kept her sane during all the dark nightmares she had been enduring, with the maniacal laughter that had driven her to near insanity…it, it was him?

'_Impossible…'_ was her first rational thought, but after everything that had happened to her, Hermione wasn't in the mood to put too much stock in anything that was very logical.

There he was, sitting in the corner, his dark and unfathomable eyes boring into her with such intensity that it almost scared her. He was sitting as still as stone, his head resting on one hand as though he was trying to understand something just beyond his reach, his lank, black hair hanging partly over his face and shoulders. But there was something about Severus that had changed since the last time she had seen him. Gone was the maliciousness and contempt from his eyes, and in its place was a pure, simple sadness that Hermione had never before seen in him. _'He looks like some kind of…dark angel, I guess,'_

Finally, his eyes moved away from her and she followed his gaze over to the other side of the room, only to see Remus stand up quickly and move quietly out of the room. Hermione reckoned that Remus had just said something to her only moments ago, but she couldn't for the world recall what it was.

"How are you feeling, Miss Granger?" the statue in the corner commented softly once the door had closed.

Hermione tried to make a rather poor attempt at speech. "I…I'm-" she began before starting to cough harshly. She tried again. "I…Oh God!" Hermione exclaimed suddenly in complete agony and reaching up to grasp her neck she could feel two small marks in the flesh that burned with searing pain.

"Here, this should help-". An alarmed voice came from beside her.

Hermione felt something ice cold being pressed to her neck and the relief washed over her. She looked up to find Severus kneeling inches away from her body, pressing a damp cloth to her neck. _'What the hell is he doing?' _

"I don't think you should try speaking quite yet," he told her quietly, looking up at her. He was so close she could feel his breath on her neck as he spoke.

Hermione finally nodded slightly in assent. She wasn't really sure what was happening and she felt far too tired to argue. Hermione felt a wave of sleep starting to come over her and closed her eyes wearily. _'Perhaps I am still dreaming…' _was her last hazy attempt at logic, before succumbing completely to the darkness once more.

It was a few hours later when she woke up. The first thing she noticed was that Severus wasn't in the room anymore. Instead, Remus was sitting beside a small wooden table that hadn't been there last time. On the table there was an array of various foods that Remus was currently helping himself to, and therefore he never noticed when she turned slightly to see his face better. She noticed there was dark circles underneath his eyes, and that his face looked rather sickly.

'_Poor man, he looks exhausted.' _Hermione noted anxiously, _'God, I hope that isn't because of me.'_

At that moment he happened to look over to her and smiled in surprise when he realised she was awake.

"Hermione! I'm glad you're awake again, are you hungry at all?"

Hermione shook her head. She still felt rather sick.

"No? Well Severus should be back soon, and you know he'll have other plans," Remus smiled wryly.

Hermione laughed at this, and then winced as she felt a shooting pain down her side. She wondered if it was safe to talk yet. _'Only one way to find out'_.

"Remus…what, what happened to me?" she enquired slowly. She watched the smile fade from his face.

"Don't you remember?"

Hermione shook her head. "Not… not much."

"I see," Remus paused thoughtfully, "Well, in that case let me fill you in…"

_**...**_

Severus had arrived in his bedroom to find Remus chatting animatedly to Hermione. How glad he was to see her awake again.

"Good evening, Miss Granger"

She looked up at him and smiled warmly. Smiled…at him? He couldn't believe it. He nodded in reply, before walking over to the wooden table, rather bemused.

"Hermione had just been asking about how she had managed to end up here in the first place." Remus started to explain.

"Indeed." Severus started to pour himself a glass of wine, deliberately trying to avoid Hermione's eyes. It hadn't gone unnoticed that Hermione hadn't asked about her husband yet. He wasn't looking forward to that conversation in the slightest., but it was bound to come up soon. Severus turned around and half listened to the mindless conversation that Remus and Hermione were now having while sipping his wine slowly.

It was half an hour later when Remus stood up, excusing himself with the explanation of having to update Tonks on Hermione's good progress. Once he had left the room Hermione looked up at Severus, all traces of good humour gone from her face.

"Severus, I need to ask you something." She started, before pausing awkwardly.

"Well girl, what is it?" Severus muttered, placing his glass on the wooden table.

"It's just…well, has Ron been in touch with you at all? Why hasn't he been here to see me at all?" She blurted out.

This had been the conversation he had been dreading.

"Hermione…I think you should see this," from inside his pockets he pulled out a crumpled up letter, and unfolding it he walked over and handed out to her. Hermione looked at the letter before slowly reaching out and accepting it.

"What-"

"It's a letter from Mr Weasley" Severus explained quietly.

Hermione began to read the letter. Severus watched as the look on her face turned first to contempt, then to anger and finally to painful sorrow. She looked up at him, eyes full of tears.

"I, I don't believe it." She whispered to him, "Impossible!"


	7. Chapter 7

_Dear Hermione,_

_Well, I'm going to put this as kindly as possible. It's just, well, I liked you and everything, but…there's someone else. There I've said it. She's different from everyone else; She understands me better than I think you ever did. She….she's also one of them. You know who I mean? _

_You'll think I'm mad, but she got me thinking: what if we've been barking up the wrong tree? What if the very people we had been fighting against, what if they are really trying to help us? _

_I mean, don't go thinking I agree with any of the… murders, but its all for the greater good isn't it? I can finally understand what you and Harry were going on about when you said risking our lives was for the 'greater good'. At least that was one thing you taught me. That's why I must try and help._

_I really hope you are not angry with me,_

_Yours sincerely _

_Ronald Weasley._

_P.S. I heard you were ill. Hope you are feeling better soon._

Severus tried to think of an appropriate reply. _'I'll kill him personally if you like_.' was his first idea. Of course, _'I'm so sorry Hermione.' _was probably the better thing to say. But Severus couldn't bring himself to say it. After all, what difference would it make?

He watched silently as the girl broke down right in front of him. He watched while she crumpled the tear-stained letter in her shaking hands. He watched as she slowly stood up and walked over to the burning log fire in the corner of the room, and he stood by and watched as Hermione threw the last remnants of her former life into the roaring flames.

She turned away from the fire and looked at him. He saw her tears running down the sides of her face, glistening softly in the fire light. _'They bleed Death and Despair,'_. The words of the woman in his dream whispered to him unbidden. He had the sudden urge to brush away the tears, to do something, anything to get rid of the look of pain on her face. Normally Severus was indifferent towards other people's suffering. He'd had his own to deal with. But this…this was different. Her pain was linked to his…

But was that really the reason?

He tried to think of a logical excuse for the situation, but came up with nothing. He tried to think of a suitable reason for why he wanted to protect the girl, to stop her suffering, but he could not think of anything.

So instead he stepped towards her, and reaching out he ever so gently brushed a tear away from her left cheek. He had expected her to flinch, to turn away and run. He had half-hoped that she would.

But she never.

Still crying, she reached up and grasped his hand as though it was the only thing keeping her alive. Severus wasn't sure how to react to this. Without thinking he stepped closer, pulling her in towards him in the process. She froze slightly before resting her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around her shaking body. Anything to stop Hermione from crying.

He rested his head on top of hers, while thinking to himself, _'What the hell am I doing?'._ It came as no surprise that he had no answer for that question either.

It was at this moment that Remus entered the room.

Several hours later and Severus was sitting in the darkness on the same hill that had been in his dream. How could he have been so stupid? To allow himself for even one moment to think the girl actually cared for him…

He pulled angrily at a clump of grass from the ground at his feet. Flashbacks from earlier on appeared in his mind… Remus walking into the room….Hermione pushing him away, running out the room, crying her eyes out…How could he have been so stupid?

Severus shook his head, trying to make the images disappear. Unfortunately the images wouldn't oblige. Over and over they played in his head, never ceasing. And the worst part of it all? It was that for that one moment, that one tiny fraction of a second when she had grabbed his hand, he had felt hope again. It had been a warm, rushing, uncontrollable feeling, like nothing he had felt for years. For so long he had been cold and distant. He had ignored his feelings almost entirely, and it had helped to numb the pain. But hope on the other hand…it had intensified the pain, it had sliced open all the wounds that Lily Evans had caused, the wounds that had only started to heal, and now they bled all over again. They bled the pain he felt at being rejected, the humiliation of the whole situation he was currently in. Severus hadn't even realised that he liked the girl in the slightest until today, and now it was too late. She had made her feelings clear.

He did consider throwing himself of the top of the astronomy tower, but that was too easy in Severus's opinion. He was a proud man if nothing else, and once again he would just have to pick up his tired and broken soul and his last shreds of dignity and go back to pretending he actually cared about life. Severus smiled grimly. Of course, the demon-like creature might have other plans. When would she come back? And what had the riddle in the dream meant? It was all as clear as mud as far as Severus was concerned. Besides, the creature better watch out.

It was a dangerous game to play with someone like him.

Someone who has nothing to lose.

………………………………

Remus was currently teaching his fourth years about the effects of dementors, but his heart wasn't really in it. He'd set the class some questions to answer (something he very rarely done) and was now sitting at his desk under the pretence of marking somebody's work. What he was actually doing was trying to make sense of what he had seen last night.

He had walked into Severus's room to find Hermione pushing Severus away and running out the room, sobbing hysterically. He'd looked at Severus, who had glared at him and uttered one word before silently walking out the room.

"Weasley."

It was then that Remus understood.

Severus had given Hermione the letter.

Remus had ran after Hermione and found her close by, slumped against a wall, head in hands. "I'm so sorry Hermione." he'd whispered to her, bending down. He'd helped her stand up again, but when he'd tried to take her back to Severus's quarters she had point-blank refused. Remus had asked her why, but all she would whisper in between the ragged breathing was "I need… time to think, Remus."

However, he had explained to her that Severus was out of his rooms at the moment, and he would tell him to leave her alone for a while if it made her feel any better. She eventually consented to going back, but Remus had to hold her steady as they went as she was still rather weak.

After he'd got Hermione settled down again, he'd went in search of Severus. He'd eventually found him heading outside to the grounds, despite the fact it was pitch black outside. Remus had told Severus that Hermione had needed time to herself, and that it would be better if he stayed away for a few hours. What Remus hadn't been expecting was Severus's reaction. His face had went completely blank, devoid of any colour.

"As you wish." he had murmured, before walking away into the night, black cloak billowing out behind him.

It was his reaction that had bothered Remus the most. Now he thought about it, Hermione's behaviour towards Severus had been odd too. One moment they seemed to dislike each other, then the next moment…well, he just hoped that creature wasn't coming back anytime soon. Hermione had been through enough without having any more trouble. He was going to go back to the library tonight, to see if he could do more research on the creature. Remus also meant to talk to Albus tonight about the Death Eater attacks. If they get any worse….

Remus sighed and finished marking the paper in front of him. He had the slightly uneasy feeling that he was missing something vital, something that would help him understand what's going on…

"Right, who's next?" he called wearily to the class in front of him.

…………………


	8. Chapter 8

It had been decided. The Order was being called back into action. Only this time Severus wasn't playing the double agent. He was firmly on the so called "Good" side of the game. How he had ended up here Severus wasn't particularly sure. He'd sort of wandered into the other side, lost, lonely and heart-broken, not really knowing what he was trying to achieve. Now he was stuck here. _'Better here than dead I suppose'. _He smiled grimly. The meetings were going to be held at the Burrow until a better location could be found. Of course now that Ron Weasley had ran off it was going to be more awkward than normal.

Mind you, Severus had more important things to be worrying about. For example, Hermione was going to be at the meeting. She had moved back up to her rooms a few days after the 'incident', and he had managed to avoid speaking to her at all for the last week or so. He would rather that he'd been able to keep on avoiding her completely, but fate it seemed, had other plans.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

The clock's steady grumbling was the only indication that time was passing at all in the Weasley's kitchen. Dumbledore hadn't arrived yet but the rest of the Order was assembled around the family table. It was, after all, a rather solemn meeting. The fact that a meeting of the order was having to be called again was a sober event in itself, but when you remembered that Ron Weasley, Harry Potter's former best friend had ran out on his wife and family to join the newly formed group of Death Eaters…

Severus should have found the idea of Ron Weasley running off to join the Death Eaters ridiculous. After all, this was a so called Gryffindor and 'blood traitor' that had ran off, not an overambitious Slytherin who didn't know any better. But Severus had seen the letter. If was almost as though…he wasn't himself. Like he, he was a different person. It worried Severus more than he was willing to let on.

It was at this point that a brief flash outside alerted the group to Dumbledore's imminent arrival.

"Good evening everyone," he began as soon as he came in. "Glad to see you've all kept yourselves out of trouble." Dumbledore allowed himself a brief pause before continuing. "However, the recent events are grim indeed. You have all received my briefing on the recent events and familiarised yourselves with it, I presume?"

There was a murmur of agreement from the group around the table.

"Very good. Now I think the first thing we should do is establish who is the leader behind the attacks. Severus, I believe you have a theory on this?"

"Indeed," Severus murmured quietly, "I have a feeling that the attack on Miss Granger and the other Death Eater attacks are linked. After looking at the letter to Miss Granger from Mr Weasley…" At this point there was an involuntary intake of breath around the room, "I think that it is possible that the creature that attacked Hermione is in fact, the new leader of the Death Eaters." he paused. "This, of course would mean-"

"But that's… what makes _you_ so certain?" A voice from the corner cut in. Severus looked over and realised with a sigh who it was. "I mean, do you really expect us to believe that-"

"I have proof Potter!" he growled at the boy from across the room.

"Like what? Hermione mentioned about those dreams she had. But nightmares aren't exactly solid evidence are they?"

"You're treading on very thin ice Potter-" Severus hissed at him.

It was then that Remus interrupted the argument. "Now both of you stop! This is isn't productive in the slightest!"

"No-one asked for your advice Werewolf!" Severus snapped at him without thinking.

"Hey! That's my husband your talking to Snape!" Now Tonks was involved, her hair tuning a violent shade of crimson.

"ENOUGH!" Dumbledore cried exasperatedly, bringing the bickering to an abrupt halt. They stopped glaring at each other and turned to looked at him.

"Now, if we could continue in a civilised manner?" Dumbledore looked at them all in turn. "As it happens, I have reason to believe that Severus is on the right track with his theory…" Severus looked over at Potter smugly. "But before we can deal with the problem, we have to find out more about this creature. Otherwise we could be fighting a losing battle. Now have you discovered anything new Remus?"

Remus stood up quickly. "As a matter of fact I have. I reckon that the reason I can't find information in the school or anywhere else is because, well… I think this, this creature might be of the Old World."

All the faces in the room turned to look at him in shock.

'_The Old World!_' Severus thought to himself in disbelief. _'Is he mad?_'. But the words of the girl in his dream came back again to haunt him.

"_The Wounds of the old world have been reopened._

_They bleed Death and Despair.__"_

Kinsley Shacklebolt was the first to speak. "But that's impossible! The Old World is simply a myth made up by old hags to scare the children. There's absolutely no proof of it ever existing."

Severus opened his mouth again without thinking. "Actually, I beg to differ."

"What do you mean?"

"I think Remus is right, is what I am trying to say Shacklebolt." Severus looked at the floor, not wanting to meet the eyes of the people that were now staring at him.

"And what makes you so sure?"

"I have my reasons."

"As do I." Dumbledore intervened.

"You do?" Kinsley enquired, clearly puzzled.

"Yes, indeed I do. And I think I know how I can prove it. Have any of you heard of the Libraria of Rūn?"

"Of course we have. It is one of the best known _myths_ in the world!"

"And what makes you so certain that it's a myth?"

"Because no-one has ever found any proof Dumbledore! I mean…"

And so the meeting went on. And on. And on.

It was only several, long hours later that the group had finally came to a decision. Amazingly, they had came to an agreement that the Libraria of Rūn was the best place to find some answers. The problem was, no one had ever actually found the library. And this was when Severus had managed to be dragged into the mess again.

"So, as I already explained," Dumbledore spoke to the now weary looking group, "I think that this… unique link that Severus has with this creature will enable him to find what others have failed to. Now, is there anyone else who would like to help with the search?" he paused but no one replied. Severus hadn't been expecting anyone to volunteer anyway. After all, he wasn't exactly the most popular man in the world. "Very well, in that case-"

"I'll go with him." Hermione's voice was hesitant but clear.

"Really?" Severus murmured in shock, looking at her properly for the first time that evening. She was still pale sickly looking, but she no longer seemed as lifeless as before. Her brown curls framed her face and fell softly around her shoulders. She looked more determined than ever. She nodded at him in reply, her face displaying no obvious emotion, her deep brown eyes distant. He knew he should probably look away now…

"Brilliant!" Dumbledore cried enthusiastically, oblivious to the tension between the two. "Now, anyone else care to go? Remus perhaps?"

"I suppose so, if you think I would be of help." Remus replied distractedly.

"Good, good." Dumbledore replied. "Well, that's the meeting over then I think. You're all free to go now. Molly, could I speak to you a moment…"

The crowd began to stand up and a murmuring of voices broke out. Severus stood up, made his way out of the kitchen and headed out of the Weasley's house. He wasn't particularly in the mood for talking.

However, as he walked up the deserted, muddy path in the gathering gloom, he heard someone coming up behind him. He turned around.

It was Hermione.

Severus knew he had no choice but to greet her civilly. He loathed to do it. "Good evening Miss Granger."

"Severus." she replied shortly. Then they were both silent. Severus couldn't stand it.

"Why did you bother to volunteer? You do realise how dangerous it could potentially be?"

"Yes."

"And yet you still want to come with me?"

"He was my husband, Severus." Hermione looked at him steadily.

Of course. How could he forget… "I didn't save your life just so you could go risking it again."

"Then why did you save it?" she asked suddenly, gazing at him intently. Severus had not been expecting that. He turned away from her.

"If only I could tell you." he laughed humourlessly, before walking away from her. Behind him Hermione didn't move. Severus however couldn't have seen the look on her face even if he had found enough courage to turn around again. The night had closed in completely as he had been walking, leaving him with only the silvery moon for company.

"If only I could tell you." he whispered to himself, shaking his head.

It was the most truthful thing he had ever said.

……………

Hermione stood on the muddy garden path in the Weasley's garden, watching the tall, dark man walking away from her. He was a mystery to her, a mystery she didn't understand.

And Hermione hated not being able to understand something. She wanted to hate him, but he had been there for her when no one else had. She wanted to stay away from him, but something kept on drawing her back to him. She didn't understand it at all.

There was one thing she did know about him. His black eyes had a distinct fierce beauty in the moonlight. It was as though he was made for the night time.

For the darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

It was cold. It was wet. It was downright bloody miserable. Severus was regretting accepting the task of finding the library. There they were in the north-east of Scotland, just off the coast of a town called Oban on a small island named Staffa. It was an island made of a dark grey volcanic rock, the hexagonal pillars of stone reaching up into the sky, towering above him. The rain lashed down as they scaled the rocks around the side of the island, making the path dangerously slippery. He slowly led the way to a huge gaping hole in the side of the island and all three of them - himself, Hermione and Remus - struggled into the cave, fighting against the raging winds that were battering the island.

"Is this the place?" Remus shouted above the roar of the waves once they were inside. Severus nodded, heading further into the cave so they could dry off. They took a quick break before continuing on through the cave. As Severus was climbing along a particularly tricky patch of rocks, he heard a sharp cry of pain from behind him. He turned around and saw that Hermione had slipped on the rocks several paces behind him. He clambered over to her and reached out his hand.

"Need help?" he murmured to her. Hermione glared at him before reaching out and grasping his hand. He pulled her up from the ground.

"Thanks." she grimaced, not looking him in the eye. Severus shrugged before turning around and continuing his treacherous journey through the dark caves.

Eventually the party reached a solid rock face that towered far above them. A large hole at one part was several meters in diameter appeared to have been blasted from the rock face by some kind of magic. The light from their wands bounced off moisture that trickled down the sides of the moss covered walls around them, giving the impression that the rock was full of shining diamonds. All around was a constant drip of water that was beginning to get on Severus's nerves.

"A dead end." Remus sighed quietly.

"No," Severus shook his head, reaching up to caress the wall above his head. "Can't you see?"

"See what?" Remus looked rather bemused now.

"There's… writing…silver writing, on the walls," Hermione whispered.

"I can't see anything."

Hermione stepped forward and looked closer. "I believe they're runes actually," She reached up to touch the wall.

"Can you translate for the rest of us, Miss Granger?" Severus enquired.

"Some of it? Yes… give me a moment," Hermione stood and looked over the writing, a look of confusion developing on her face. After about a minute or so she spoke.

"I, I think it says: '_Beware, this library was sealed by order of the Old One; only the healer's blood may reopen it, for only suffering lies ahead_.'. The rest's been destroyed, where the hole is-"

"Can't you make out any of it at all?" Severus asked.

"Only something to do with blood… right blood or wrong blood… and it mentions danger again."

"Well, in the past wizards have often made barriers that demand sacrifice before you can enter," Remus said slowly, thinking. "But it doesn't sound like it wants just any blood…"

"The blood of a healer," Severus nodded in agreement.

"Well that would be you Severus, wouldn't it?" Hermione suddenly turned to look at him.

"Why me?"

"You saved me from that demon creature,"

"That doesn't make me a healer, Hermione." Severus muttered, not meeting her eyes.

"Severus, I think she might be right." Remus added quietly.

Severus knew when he was defeated. "Alright fine, whatever," he growled at the pair, reaching inside his robes and pulling out a small, silver knife that he had taken to carrying about with him ever since he first joined the Death Eaters. Just in case.

"I didn't know you had that," Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Just in case," Severus shrugged, turning to the stone wall. "Wait," he turned back around to look at the girl, "How would_ you _know if I carried a knife around with me anyway?"

Hermione looked away quickly, changing the subject swiftly. "You should probably drip the blood onto where that big hole is." she said, pointedly not looking in his direction.

Severus sighed before turned back to the task in hand. Lifting his left hand up, he placed the edge of his shining blade onto the side of his wrist and drew it swiftly across the soft flesh. He ignored the sharp, burning sensation that he could feel as a dark, glistening ridge appeared across the surface of the skin. Lifting his bleeding wrist up to the gaping hole he let the wet, reddish substance seep out of the wound and fall onto the scorched rock.

However, instead of the blood flowing down the side of the rock face, the wall seemed to drink up the liquid, accompanied by a low hissing noise. Severus moved his hand away from the hole and for a moment nothing happened. Then suddenly the whole rock face started to glow a vibrant shade of red and the whole cave was bathed in a crimson glow. Before them a shape of a gigantic doorway appeared, the rock inside the frame of the entrance disintegrating into nothing as the door started to take a solid appearance. It must have been at least twenty feet in width, even more in height.

"Wow," Remus exclaimed in shock.

"Oh God," Hermione whispered.

Severus simply stared. There it was all right: the fabled Libraria of Rūn. It was gigantic in proportions, a huge cavernous room stretching on for miles and miles, so far that they could not see the end. Beautiful carved stone pillars soared into the darkness above the room as far as he could see and Severus could only presume that there was actually any ceiling at all. Attached to these pillars in cast iron brackets were wooden torches that had somehow magically burst into peacock blue flames of their own accord; they cast an unnatural glow onto the contents of the library. As for the actual contents of the library? Rows and rows of shelves, thousands of them, packed full with millions of books, all different shapes and sizes. But it wasn't just books that filled the shelves. Objects, everything from glass bottles to skulls to God-knows-what-else were scattered haphazardly around the place. There were signs of decay on the library too; papers were scatted all over the floor, dust hung in the air and clung to the books. Some shelves were lying, broken and smashed on the rough stone floor. There was something sinister about the place. Severus didn't know why. Then he saw the trail of blood on the floor. It led into the heart of the library. It was still fresh.

"How are we going to find anything in here? Look at the size of it!" Hermione cried despairingly. Severus realised she was right. How could they find anything in this place? But he wondered who the blood belonged to…

"I think we should start by following the trail of blood." Severus suggested.

"What blood-" Hermione followed Severus's gaze. "Ah…"

Severus started forward and headed through the archway, Remus and Hermione following behind them. All three kept their wands out and at the ready.

They made their way through the dust-filled library and although Severus could tell Hermione was dying to stop and look and the books, Severus was determined to find who or what the blood belonged to. They continued past shelves that towered above them, creating narrow closes and passages that they had to go through to follow the bloody trail. Severus didn't like it. It was too quiet. Too dark. And the place was full of magic. He could feel it.

As they came out of one of these narrow closes and into the torchlight the group found themselves facing a huge, circular stone platform, at least forty feet in diameter. Arcane runes were inscribed all around the circular base and like the cave outside, they glowed with the same, unnatural red light. The trail of blood led up to a strange shape that was lying in the centre of the circle. There were torches around the circumference of the circle, but the ethereal light that they gave could not reach the middle.

"What…what is that?" Remus whispered. Severus ignored him and stepped forward, wand held above his head. Hermione and Remus stayed still. He walked cautiously towards the thing in the centre, until eventually the light from his wand fell onto where the trail of blood ended.

"Oh God," he whispered.

For it was a body that lay in the centre of the platform, face down in a pool of dark blood. Some creature had ripped a large gash in the side of its ribcage, and there was still some blood dripping out the side of it and onto the stone. A fresh kill. Perhaps a sacrifice? Severus braced himself against the harsh, metallic stench that hung in the air and reluctantly reached down to turn the body over, so that he could see the face of the victim.

He gasped.

He stepped back.

He heard footsteps behind him, accompanied by Hermione's voice.

"What is-"

"Hermione, don't… don't come any closer. Please." Severus called in a hoarse voice.

"Why, what's wrong?" she whispered. Severus couldn't bear to answer her. "Severus, you're starting to scare me now." she pleaded with him. She came closer. "Severus, I don't-" she paused in shock. "No, no, it can't…Oh God." Severus felt her push past him and watched as she kneeled in the pool of blood beside the dead body. Severus watched, frozen.

"Hermione, what is it?" he heard Remus call.

She choked out the words in between silent tears. "It's…It's Ron. He's… dead."


	10. Chapter 10

Firstly I should say sorry for the lateness in updating, I've had loads of exams recently.

Secondly thank you for all the reviews I've been getting, I appreciate them a lot!

………………………………........

He wasn't sure what to think.

Ron Weasley…dead.

'_What would it do to Hermione? She didn't deserve this…'_

Severus walked over to Hermione, who was still kneeling beside Ron's dead body. Bending down he gingerly placed his hand on Hermione's shoulder. She didn't move.

"Hermione," he murmured. "You can't stay here." He tugged gently on her shoulder, trying to pull her away. She stayed still. He pulled on her shoulder more forcefully. "Hermione, please," This time she turned away and before he could stop her she had falling against him, sobbing hysterically. He wasn't sure what to do. Also the fact that a rather shocked Remus was standing close by made him feel extremely self-conscious.

"Remus," he said quietly while patting Hermione awkwardly on the back. "Send a massage to Dumbledore with the bad news."

Remus nodded silently and walking slightly away from the pair he conjured the patronus that would send the dark tidings back to the Order.

He secretly loved the fact that she was so close to him. He knew it wasn't the right thing to be thinking with her dead ex-husband only metres away, but he couldn't help it. He didn't want to think about how beautiful her soft brown felt so close to his skin, how nice it felt to have another human being so close to him after all these years, how…

"What's that?," Remus suddenly called, diverting the unfortunate route that Severus's thoughts had been following involuntarily.

"How the hell should I know when I can't even see what you're talking about?" Severus growled at him darkly. Suddenly, a huge explosion erupted from behind Remus, breaking the silence of the library and the impact sending him flying towards the other end of the circle. Hermione cried out in shock. Severus jumped up and pulled out his wand. Debris was now strewn all around them. Severus couldn't see anything for a cloud of dust that had risen up around them. Coughing and spluttering, he tried to conjure a gust of wind that could blow the dust away. He could hear someone laughing. A harsh, rattling tone that chilled the air around him. Eventually, the dust settled down leaving the room in darkness.

'_It was a shame about the boy,' _he heard a voice cry from the darkness. Hermione let out a low hiss from behind him. _'If it's any consolation, he tasted very nice indeed. Very sweet-'_

"Shut up you monster!" He heard Hermione growl fiercely. The creature laughed, and Hermione climbed to her feet, wand pointing in the apparent direction of the sound. She started to walk forward.

"Hermione! Don't move-" Severus snapped at her. She ignored him.

"Come on, Show yourself!" She shouted to the emptiness. Severus thought she'd lost all reason.

'_Presently.' _

Severus turned swiftly as the creature appeared from behind them. It was the same black cloaked figure that had been haunting his nightmares. The red eyes burned with cold amusement. He watched, frozen, as she lifted up a skeletal-like hand and Severus only realised what she was doing too late. The demon whispered softly and a harsh, blinding red light sprung from her finger tips and hit Hermione square on the chest, sending her sprawling onto the ground. Severus cried out. She turned on him next before he even had time to react. He felt an agonising pain in his chest before falling down onto the dusty cold stone floor and into unconsciousness.

………………………..

Remus gingerly reached up to touch his head. He felt a sticky wet substance on his fingertips and wondered vaguely how it had managed to get there. He looked around, blinking from the white sunlight that was streaming through a nearby window. Where was he? It…it looked like the hospital wing at Hogwarts. How did he manage to end up here? Remus couldn't figure it out. He looked over at the nearby bed and saw Hermione lying in it, sleeping quietly. Why was she there as well?

Then he remembered. The library. Ron. Then the loud bang, the crashing, the pain and the darkness. Then he remembered voices. Dumbledore and others, someone crying…

"Glad to see you're awake Remus," he heard a voice from across the room.

"Albus," Remus answered, smiling slightly.

"I have to admit, you had us all a bit worried." Dumbledore continued.

"Tonks! Is she ok?" Remus cried in realisation.

"Tonks wasn't the one who's been unconscious for the last couple of days, Remus, but yes, she is fine. She is away finding something to eat at the moment, but I'm sure she'll be back soon."

"She's here?"

"Indeed." said Dumbledore, smiling.

"And Hermione. She's ok?"

"As well as can be expected." Dumbledore said in an uncharacteristically solemn tone. The shock of Ron's death will have affected everyone who knew him.

"Of course," Remus said quietly. "And Severus is well too, I presume?"

"Alas, I'm afraid not."

"Oh?"

"You see, I got your message and almost immediately I set off with several members of the Order. Molly and Arthur insisted on coming with us. It was indeed a shocking sight that met our eyes when we found you all. Certainly an experience I would not wish to repeat. However when we arrived Severus wasn't there at all. Hermione claims that before she too fell unconscious she saw the demon knock him out and vanish with his body…" Dumbledore paused, obviously troubled. Remus was silent for a moment, quite shocked.

"Do…do you think you will be able to find him?" Remus finally asked, not really wanting to know the answer but unable to stop himself.

"I couldn't tell you. Hermione thinks she could find a way but…I will be honest with you Remus. I'm not so sure she is mentally fit to go. Between the attacks and losing Ron twice… I simply don't think she can cope with any more pressure. No. I think we will find another way around the problem."

"If you think so then you are most probably right, but I don't think she will appreciate not being able to help,"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes I know. However, thank you for your vote of confidence. Now despite the circumstances I took the liberty of exploring the library, in the hope of finishing the task that the three of you had started."

"I don't see how you could find anything in that place, Dumbledore, it was far too large-"

"Ah, but if you had had the time to read the inscriptions on the ancient pillars, you would have found instructions for a rather simple spell that effectively searches all the books and artefacts in the library and will even point you to what you seek,"

"So did you find information then?"

"Yes I did, however I shall tell you about it later. For now I shall leave you in peace with your darling wife." Dumbledore smiled slightly and stood up. Remus watched as he headed out of the room, pausing only to nod at a tired-looking Tonks as she came in. She saw that he was awake and Remus laughed softly as she ran over and hugged him very tightly.

……………………………….......

When Severus finally came around he didn't have a clue were he was. He was lying face down on a dirt floor and shivered as a breath of cold, damp air swept over him. He was also in pain. His arms and neck burned furiously and there was a pounding in his head that stopped him from thinking straight. He vaguely noted that he was lying against some sort of rough-cut stone wall. He was surrounded by inky black darkness but also appeared to be inside a room. The dirt on the floor irritated his cheek and he could feel some sort of rock sticking into his side. It hurt.

When he tried to move he realised that his hands were bound together tightly with some sort of rough, rope-like material. The rope rubbed against his wrists and he could feel bruises were it had been pulled far too tight. He tried to turn over anyway, but gasped as he felt a searing pain in the side of his neck. It was agony. He curled up into a ball and closed his eyes again in an attempt to be rid of the pain. He could smell burning.

Eventually he fell into a restless sleep. He dreamt of screaming, of creatures waiting in the dark. He dreamt he was constantly running… running and running. He dreamt of laughing and of bloody red eyes watching him.

Waiting for him.

……………………


	11. Chapter 11

A tall figure stood on a grassy hill just outside of London. For miles around the sprawling metropolis of houses, buildings and roads was spread out before her. She watched for an hour or so as the night time fell on the city, bringing with it millions of tiny pinpricks of artificial light from the buildings and cars. Eventually she spoke.

"Now it's time." she hissed quietly into the emptiness, and from behind her a group of horrific creatures appeared. Orcs, goblins, skeletal creatures of all sizes were gathered behind her in the gloom. "You know your orders. Now remember: mortals only. Be patient. And above all, do not be seen. Now go!"

The creatures hissed and jeered loudly before rushing down the hill and into the night. The woman sat down on the hill and waited. Not long after she heard screams echoing from a nearby estate. A smile played across her cruel lips, her red eyes burning with excitement. "And so it begins…"

……………………………

Hermione could hear people talking about it as they passed the hospital wing. The…murder of her husband. The death of at least thirty-eight muggles last night alone. The disappearance of the muggle prime minister - presumed dead. And no one knew why. Except Hermione. It was that creature. The one who had been haunting her. Ruining her life. She wanted to leave, but she wasn't allowed. It was only a few days after the trouble at the library, and Dumbledore had told Hermione that he didn't want her going anywhere at the moment. Madam Pomfrey also said she wanted to make sure that Hermione's head wounds were fully healed before letting her go. Hermione suspected it was to keep an eye on her, emotionally speaking, after what happened with Ron. The funny thing was, she didn't really feel all that much at all. She had done all the crying when Ron had left her. Now she only had a strange hollow feeling inside, accompanied by a small twinge of pain and something else that she believed to be called guilt.

Hermione didn't understand why she was feeling guilty. She couldn't think of a reason why. Perhaps it was because she never got to say a proper goodbye to Ron. They had been friends for so long. But any part of him that had been the old Ron had died years ago, so she didn't think that was the reason. She didn't understand. Hermione then thought about what Severus would say if he could see her dilemma. _'Feeling guilty over Ron Weasley are we?' _he would sneer. '_Surely not?'_. She smiled as she tried to picture his expression. He would have that annoying smirk on his face, like he knew something that she didn't. He always knew how to wind her up. Yet he'd also been there for her when no one else had. Now he was stuck somewhere all alone and she wasn't even allowed to go and…then it hit her. He was the reason why she felt guilty. It was nothing to do with Ron. Nothing whatsoever. Hermione started to laugh. She could help it. The situation was so ridiculous, yet absolutely true. And so she decided that she would try and help him, no matter what the cost. But how would she find him?

That night Hermione lay in her bed, twisting and turning, not able to sleep. Eventually she fell into troubled dreams…

_The library. The circle. Symbols. Runes. A wasteland. A tower, surrounded by fire. A cavern. The Throne of Blood. Demons chanting. A prison. Images flashed through her mind, one after the other, each one darker than the next. A woman's face appeared in the gloom. Here skin was pale and transparent. It swirled and danced in a pattern too complicated to understand. Her eyes were gray and her hair silver. He voice was soft yet urgent._

'_You must find him at the mountain.' she called over and over. Then she was interrupted by that harsh laughing. It was followed by darkness._

That morning she knew how she would find Severus. Now she only had find a way to get there.

…………………………….

Severus groaned as he felt a feeble ray of light falling onto his face. He opened his eyes fully and looked around, trying to figure out where the light was coming from. The source of the sunlight was from what Severus could only presume was called a window, as it was about the size of a letterbox and situated at the very top of the wall opposite him. Never the less he was very glad of the little sunlight that it allowed through. _'It must be morning,' _he thought to himself wearily, looking around and trying to take in his surroundings once more. He noted that there was a small wooden door in the corner, but it looked far too thick to broken open by force. Severus had no idea where his wand had gone but suspected he wouldn't be seeing it any time soon. He decided to try and move himself. He felt a shooting pain in his neck again, but it wasn't as blinding as it had been the night before. Eventually he managed to manoeuvre himself so that he was leaning against the wall in a sitting position rather than on the floor. Only now did he realise just how hungry he was. How long since his last meal? Several days presumably. He was thirsty too. Incredibly thirsty. He then started to think about how he could get a message to the outside world, but each idea he thought of became more and more ridiculous. However he preferred it to the nightmares that were haunting him whenever he fell asleep.

Severus had no real concept of time in the tiny cell but after what felt like several hours he found his thoughts returning to somewhere he had been avoiding thus far: Hermione. He didn't want to think about her because it was far too painful. He hadn't realised just how much he had fallen in love with her. Back at Hogwarts it seemed like he had had all the time in the world to sort out the problems between the two. Back there he could avoid admitting to himself the truth about the situation, he could tell himself that he had time yet to make a decision on how he felt about her. Now he realised quite how stupid he had been. Memories started to come back and one in particular stood out. It was of one time when he had bumped in to her at the library, not long before she had been attacked. It was one of those rare times when she actually appeared to be interested in what he had to say. They stood and exchanged comments for at least five minutes and he could distinctly remember her finding something he had said rather amusing. She had looked at him and smiled, and just for that one moment the haunted look that he had seen in her for so long had gone from her eyes. He so wished he could see her like that again, instead of the crying wreck she had been the last time he had laid eyes on her.

A noise at the door brought him back to the harsh reality. There was a jangling of keys followed by a creaking sound as the heavy door was swung open. In the doorway stood a small, goblin-like creature which could have been no more than four foot high. It was a brown, scaly looking thing with small darting eyes that despite its appearance gave the impression that it was rather intelligent. It walked into the room with a noticeable limp and set down a small plate with a bit of bread and a slice of something that looked like meat. Beside it he placed a small pitcher of water. The creature proceeded to bend down beside Severus and untie the ropes that still bound his hands. The smell of the creature that was so close to him made his eyes water, but he was too weak to move away. It then stood up and glanced at him coldly.

"Eat." it hissed menacingly, before tuning and limping back out the room. Severus watched and listened dejectedly as the door was closed and locked again. If only he had been strong enough to move! He managed to reach for the bread, but he paused before putting it in his mouth. Was it safe to eat? He had no way of telling, but decided that as he was so hungry he would have to take the risk sooner rather than later. It was edible and he wolfed down straight away, but decided not to touch the meat-ling thing beside it. Finally, he turned to the pitcher of water, and after tasting it he decided that it too was also safe enough to consume. Now, fed and watered, his thoughts turned back to Hermione once more.

…………………..

It was strange, being back at this place. Where Ron had died. She tried to ignore any emotion she felt, She knew that she had to focus now. Hermione was currently standing at the circle in the centre of the library, after sneaking out of the hospital wing and apparating to the cave from outside the front gates of the school. Walking around the circumference of the circle she started to translate the inscriptions around the edges. The story that they told amazed her. The runes described a demon of great power that existed long ago. She was extremely powerful and after a bitter feud between the wizards of that age she was banished to an alternative plane along with her minions and followers. The only access to this plane was a portal that was sealed by order of the Old One, only to be opened by a descendant of the Healers. Hermione was sure this was the same creature that had been haunting her and Severus and she was also sure that this was were Severus was. Next she had to find a way to open the portal.

Pointing her wand at the centre of the circle she muttered a simple opening spell. As she suspected it didn't work. Hermione then tried various other spells, but had no success. The idea of searching the library crossed her mind, but she dismissed this idea as she did not think the key to opening the library would just be left lying about nearby.

Suddenly there was a flash of white light and Hermione jumped back in shock as the very same woman from her dream last night appeared in front of her.

"I will open the portal for you, but you must hurry!" the woman said quickly. She waved her hand and at once the circle burst into flames.

"But who are you?" Hermione said, confused.

"There is no time, you must go into the flames now!"

"But-"

"GO!" the woman shouted.

Hermione looked back at the woman before taking a step into the roaring flames. They instantly engulfed her. Before she even had time to be frightened however they died down again, but now she wasn't in the library. A cold wind blew against her face as she found herself at the edge of a sparse forest. It was near the base of a huge stone tower that was carved out of a enormous rock face. she recognised it from her dreams. Dark clouds swirled ominously in the sky above and Hermione had a strong urge to run away. Far away.


	12. Chapter 12

Fighting that urge to run she ventured forward towards a small cave in the rock face close by, so that she could shelter from the growing winds and decide what to do next. It was a shallow little cave but it provided some escape from the elements. Plus, it made her feel a little less exposed to the outside world, which was an added bonus considering that she was currently somewhere that was strange and quite alien to her. She had figured out so far that she must be in that alternative plane that had been described by the Runes back in the library. The creature's prison. Only now of course that demon and her minions had found some way to escape from the bounds that held them to this world…Hermione was starting to regret not thinking this plan out more thoroughly.

For one thing, she was all by herself and the creature had already bested her and Severus twice. If there ended up being a third time it could be fatal for them both. Secondly, she had absolutely no idea were Severus really was. She had a vague idea from her dream that he was somewhere in the tower, but she was by no means certain of the exact location. Then again she also knew that she couldn't leave him now. Hermione lent against the rock face while pondering what to do. However as she lent back she heard a low, scraping sound from behind her and jumping back in shock she watched as the supposed back wall of the cave opened up to reveal a dark passageway. The first thing she did was look around to make sure the noise hadn't attracted any unwanted visitors. There was nothing nearby. _'I wonder where this leads to…'_ she thought to herself. Hermione realised that the passage could in fact lead to the tower itself, which would be a lot better and probably much safer compared to simply walking through the front door of the demon's lair. Then again, it might not. But she didn't have any other plan. Lighting her wand she took a deep breath and stared cautiously down the narrow passageway. She paused. Then she thought of Severus and what would happen to him if she didn't go down that passageway. Hermione shook her head and stepped into the gloomy passage. The thought of Severus was the only thing that kept her going now.

………………………………...

Severus was staring at the brick wall opposite him when he head footsteps outside his cell. He had a plan this time. Now he was stronger, this time when the goblin-like thing came back to collect his plate he would find some way to attack it. He guessed he would have to resort to a muggle's style of fighting, but Severus felt this was necessary as he figured that if he stayed much longer in this tiny cell he would go completely and utterly insane.

Now he could hear a jangling of keys again. He tensed, ready to spring. He could hear voices. A woman, who sounded angry. She shouted something. He couldn't make out what was said. There was a resounding crash. Then the door creaked slowly open. Severus froze in shock as he realised who it was.

It was the creature. Any hope that Severus had for escaping evaporated into thin air. The creature laughed menacingly.

"So, we meet again…" she said quietly, leaning against the door frame. Her red eyes gazed at him both mockingly and triumphantly, as though he was some strange and pitiful animal she had captured, but there was also an undercurrent something else... he knew better than to try and run away. He watched as she moved away from the doorway, towards him. He tore his eyes away from her for a second as he saw outside in the corridor that the same goblin creature that had given him food was now slumped on the floor. There was blood dripping on the ground beside his head and Severus guessed he was either unconscious… or more likely dead.

"I must apologise for not coming sooner, I've been _very_ busy indeed." that cruel smile played across her lips once more as she appreciated some private joke of hers. She followed Severus's gaze to the door. "And I see you've met my former jail keeper. I did warn him not to give you any food, such a shame he didn't listen…"

Severus finally found his voice. "What do you want from me?" he whispered hoarsely. It was the first time he had used his voice properly in days.

The demon raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What do I want from you? Well I thought that was obvious." she laughed again, and walking over she crouched down beside him. "You're very special, very special indeed."

"I…I don't…I don't understand." his voice was barely audible. He wanted to move away but her piercing gaze paralyzed him.

"Haven't you ever wondered why you are more powerful than the average wizard?" she reached up with one of those skeletal hands and stroked his cheek, smiling softly. He flinched, the iciness of her hands chilling him to the bone. "Why you can do things the others cannot…" Severus was too scared to reply. "You see, you are in fact a descendant of the very fools that trapped me here in the first place. You're blood is rich with their magic. So very, very rich…" She murmured the last words almost to herself. Then she trailed her hand downwards to his neck. He felt the coolness of her touch in stark contrast to the burning of his wound. In the mist of his currently chaotic mind he vaguely realized that he still didn't know how exactly he had acquired the wound in the first place…

"You're blood, it gives me power, more power than I had ever imagined." he could feel her breath on his face as she spoke. She smiled slowly, seductively. He could see her teeth and they were deadly sharp. A fear like none other pounded in his veins. He could feel the cadence of his heart that was beating furiously against his ribcage. He started to panic and tried to pull away, but it was in vain. Her death-like grip stopped him from moving. "Don't worry," she whispered, "You are far, far too valuable to die," she bent her head down towards his neck and so very tenderly she sank her fangs into his soft neck.

……………………..

Hermione had continued through the passage and so far her only encounter had been with a rather large black rat. Fortunately it had seemed more scared of her than she was of it, and it had scurried past her before she could do anything about it. After a tense time of walking she had eventually reached a small wooden door. The hinges were severely rusted and it was covered in dust as though it had not been used in a very long time. She was extremely frightened. What about the creature? What about Severus? Was she too late?

Pushing these thoughts to the back of her mind, she reached out and tried the handle of the door. To her surprise the door opened easily, and thankfully it made very little noise. Stepping through the door she found herself in a dimly lit corridor. There were some torches in brackets but they provided very little light. Hermione continued slowly up the corridor, constantly on guard. The only noise she could hear as she walked was the echo of her own footsteps.

Finally she reached an other door and when she opened it she jumped back in shock as a black shape came pelting towards her. Without thinking she cast a stun spell at the thing and knocked it out, only to find that it was in fact yet another giant rat._ 'Poor thing,' _Hermione thought rather guiltily, and stepping around it she entered the next corridor. This one was shorter and she could see a door on one side. As she continued forward she felt her stomach twist as she saw a dark shape lying on the floor. She ventured forward and felt some relief when she saw that it wasn't Severus. However the sight of what seemed to be a freshly dead goblin felt rather ominous and the sight of the blood made Hermione feel very sick. She looked around but the door on the right hand side seemed the only way forward. She tried this door but unlike the other two it turned out to be locked. However she tried the _Alohomora _spell and smiled slightly as she heard the lock click in a satisfying manner.

She pushed the door open. Suddenly, she gasped in horror as she saw the very thing she had been dreading. Severus was lying sprawled out on the floor of a tiny cell, and he wasn't moving.

"No!"

Hermione ran over and knelt beside him, putting her hand on the side of his neck to check for a pulse. He was still alive. "Thank God!" She whispered. Lifting her hand from his neck she noticed there was blood on it, but she ignored it and put both her hands on his extremely pale face.

"Come on Severus," she whispered desperately, shaking slightly. "Wake up… Please."


	13. Chapter 13

_**(Sorry about not updating in a while, but you know how busy Christmas time is!  
please R and R, I appreciate every single review I get!)**_

..........................

Severus winced as a loud, shrill noise brought him back round from unconsciousness. Somewhere from the back of his weary and fatigued brain he thought he realised what he was hearing…

Hermione? Was it really her?

Wait, was he dreaming?

Severus didn't want to open his eyes, only to be broken by the fact that it wasn't her, and it could never be her. But the voice was so insistent that he should wake up that he thought he may as well find out what the voice that-sounded-like-Hermione-but-couldn't-be wanted from him.

He winced as the voice shouted his name once more.

"Who, who is…is it?" the words that came out from his mouth were very slurred.

"Thank God you're awake Severus! It's me, Hermione? How are you feeling? Are you-"

It was Hermione.

Her voice, as welcome as it was, cut through his head like a blunt knife.

"Hermione," Severus coughed, vividly aware of the wound on the side of his throat, "As glad as I am to… to see you, do you think… you could be quiet?" Severus had half-expected her to protest at this. Or at least be the tiniest, littlest bit angry.

He hadn't expected her to laugh softly. He hadn't expected her to place each of her soft, delicate hands on either side of his face. He most definitely had not expected her to ever so gently brush her lips against his forehead.

"I've missed you so much," she murmured, softly this time so that she wouldn't hurt his head again. Severus was in shock.

However, throughout the myriad of emotions he was currently experiencing he could feel also the wound on his neck throbbing furiously with pain. It was a reminder of the danger they where in.

"Hermione, we, we need to go, Now."

She nodded in reply and stood up. "Do you think you can walk?" she asked him, offering her hand out to help him up.

"I'm not that sure if I can even stand, never mind walk," Severus muttered, and grasping her hand he clumsily pulled himself up off the floor. Once standing he studied Hermione's face to make sure he wasn't imagining it. But no, it was definitely her. The same soft auburn hair framing her face beautifully, deep brown eyes filled with relief, pity, shock…Love, perhaps? Severus didn't dare to hope.

"What happened to you?" Hermione whispered, shaking her head in disbelief.

"The creature." Severus shrugged, not really in the mood to expand. Grasping onto Hermione's shoulder for support Severus managed to get out the cell, but as soon as the pair were out in the corridor they heard a laughing noise behind them.

"Did you really think you could win that easily?" a familiar voice echoed from inside the cell behind them. There was no need to turn around. They both understood who it was straight away.

Severus knew who the demon wanted, and who she was willing to kill to get it…

"Hermione, run!" He pulled on Hermione's arm and ignoring the burning pain that was coursing through his veins they ran through the corridor and into the adjacent room. Severus realised they had been lucky in that the creature obviously hadn't expected them to try to run away.

"Wait!" Hermione cried, and stopping in her tracks she turned around and cast a spell on the door they had just entered through. A strange, black, tar-like substance oozed around the edges of the door and its frame, sealing the creature out of the room, and also shutting himself and Hermione in.

"There," Hermione turned to him, shaking slightly. "That should give us a bit more time to-" she paused, looking around the large circular room.

"What?"

"I, I don't recognise this place…"

"How? Didn't you come through here in the first-?"

"Yes. I know. But, but it's changed…"

Severus examined the area around him, wondering if it was the creature's fault they were now lost. The room itself was made of smooth stone and was completely bare except from a small, inconspicuous-looking potted plant that stood, rather forlorn, at the edge of the room. It was rather odd really, seeing something as mundane as a house plant in the middle of all this chaos…

"Hermione," Severus addressed her while limping over to the little green plant.

"Severus, you should really save your strength-"

He turned and glared at her. "I used to be a Death Eater, Miss Granger; you would do well to remember that."

"Oh, so it's Miss Granger again is it?" Hermione snapped back at him. "Five minutes ago-"

_Crash_. A sound like thunder rang throughout the room as the only entrance was blasted open, sending dust and bits of debris flying in every direction. Severus, coughing and spluttering, grabbed Hermione and pulled her towards the potted plant. As soon as his hand came into contact with the fleshy green leaves, he felt a familiar tugging sensation at his insides as the room started to spin around them. He caught one last glimpse of the demon that was standing in the arched doorway before the room disappeared completely.

The next thing he knew Severus found himself in a small forest clearing and feeling rather dizzy. Travelling by that sort of method was never comfortable at the best of times. He saw Hermione picking herself up from near by an old, gnarled tree trunk and dragging his badly aching body he went over to her and helped her up.

"Looks like the plant was a Portkey." Hermione said to him once she was standing.

"Evidently." Severus replied rather sarcastically. He wasn't really listening, as he had suddenly became rather engrossed with their current surroundings. He was sure he recognised the place. It was dark, even in the muddy forest clearing, and he was sure he could hear thunder rumbling ominously in the background. Oak, birch, and cedar trees towered above him in an intimidating manner and the moonlight was escaping into the clearing through a gap in the canopy. He felt as though he had been here before, yet he knew he hadn't. It felt almost like a dream…

"Look, I think this is a sort of path over here," Hermione called over to him from the other side of the clearing..

He hadn't actually realised she had even moved. He went over and saw that there was indeed what appeared to be some sort of path. It most likely had been made by animals - or other creatures of the forest. Of course it had to lead somewhere. After a moments hesitation he started to follow it.

"Wait! Where are you going? We don't even know where it goes! What if it's a trap-" Hermione muttered anxiously, following on behind him.

"Have you got any better ideas?" Severus replied while walking, not bothering to turn around. He heard Hermione sigh in defeat and they continued along the trail in silence.

Eventually they found the path turning a sharp corner and following its curve they ended up at another, larger clearing. He heard Hermione gasp in shock from behind him. Severus didn't say a word. He knew now why he recognised the forest. It was the one from his very first dreams. The ones that had haunted him; nearly drove him to madness. As for how he recognised it…

Dead bodies were piled up in the centre of the clearing that stank with the lingering smell of fresh blood.


	14. Chapter 14

He knew what would come next. The people in cloaks, the blood, the demon and eventually…his death. And somehow he had managed to drag Hermione into this nightmare too. All these years, all the time he had spent right in the midst of the Death Eaters, right at voldemort's side, trying to claim the ultimate revenge on the behalf of his first love, Lilly Evans. Now he was going to die alongside the only other woman he had chosen to love, and once again it was all his fault. But then he also remembered that in his dream, he had been alone. He had died, yes, but he had still been alone. Perhaps if he could convince Hermione to leave then he could face death with some dignity.

He turned to her and placed both his hands on her shoulders. "You need to leave."

"What! No! I rescued you and I will stay with you, just like you did when I was ill-"

"Listen to me!" he snapped at her, frustrated. "You have to go now or you or you will die."

"I'm not leaving you!"

"Foolish girl!" he growled at her. "Will you not listen to me for once!"

"Give me one good reason why I should!" Hermione retorted angrily, glaring at him. Severus didn't know how he would convince her to leave. All he knew was that she wasn't supposed to be here, that she couldn't be here…

Acting on a sudden impulse he lent in and kissed her. He put as much passion, tenderness and care into it as possible, knowing that he would never see her again, that he would never get to kiss her, to hold her, to love her like he had never had the chance to before…

He broke away from her. It was a bittersweet parting like none other he had ever experienced. Never in all his life had he felt so little desire to die. Yet he knew that was what must happen. Or else the creature would haunt him for the rest of his life, destroying anything and everything that was close to him until it found him.

"Go." he whispered, looking in her eyes for one final time. Hermione nodded, biting her lip, and she turned and walked away several metres. She turned to look at him and he watched as after a moment's pause she apparated into thin air.

He turned around to face the clearing, knowing now that whatever happened he was going to try and bring that demon down with him. Of course it was then he realised that he didn't even have a wand. Still, he would try his best. Limping forward through the dirt and mud he entered into the centre of the clearing, avoiding the dead bodies the best he could and ignoring the bitter, overwhelming perfume of Death that arose from the bloodied corpses. He froze as he heard a rustling of leaves and he watched, still paralyzed, as the ominous assembly of cloaked figures he had been expecting all along stealthily entered the clearing. They formed a large, tight circle around him and a stranger who had just happened to catch a meagre glimpse would have thought them to be carved statues of black marble. However, if they were to pause and stand close, then they would catch a low but frequent rasping noise that sounded like a wooden brush scraping on a stone floor; Severus could only think that the sound was in fact the breath of the foul creatures.

Despite this he still stood his ground. Another hooded figure entered the clearing and Severus knew instinctively who it was.

'_You really should have left with the girl while you still had the chance_.' the demon's voice whispered in his head again; the casual reminder of Hermione pierced him like a shard of ice.

"Why do you haunt me? Haunt her?" Severus growled angrily at the hidden faces.

"Now, is that really the most important thing at the moment?" She spoke to him now in patronizing tones and he could imagine vividly that behind the hood she was smiling mockingly. Memories of their last encounter lingered in his mind and made his insides twist with a dark and irrepressible fear; the wound on his neck still burned furiously as if reminding him of what was to come.

"Tell me!" he snarled at her as she stepped around the pile of dead bodies and came closer towards him.

"Feisty, aren't you?" He heard her laugh humourlessly to herself. "Well, as your little friend no doubt should have told you, I was trapped here by a group of former friends. These interfering, know-it-all sorcerers didn't see that the only way for our kind to survive alongside those weak and needy wizards who conjure magic tricks for a living was to demonstrate dominance over those inferior peoples. My so-called friends, unlike myself and my followers, felt that the better way to live was to suffer alongside those simpletons." She paused for a moment and reaching up she pulled down her hood, so that Severus could see clearly her skeletal features once more. "In the end it looks like I was better off. They were eventually hunted down by the very people they had strove to protect, until the few that remained went into hiding permanently. Only a very few of the sorcerers or their descendants remain to this day. I only know of two… one being yourself and the other in fact I think you have already met." A look of distaste was apparent on her face now. "A woman, I believe, has been attempting to help you avoid me - failing miserably of course."

A flashback of the ethereal woman that had appeared in his dreams came back to him suddenly.

"Yes that's right," She smiled grimly. "That would be her. A consistently infuriating fool that I have the misfortune of calling my sister."

Severus was shocked at the revelation. They were so unalike in appearance and personality that it was near unbelievable that they could be related.

"Of course I see that you have touched upon our most obvious differences. I, being the one more inclined to the darker aspects of our powers, have ended up becoming very much like the creatures that serve me very much faultlessly. My…sister, on the other hand, was always very much into the very whimsical art of healing. She paid the price when she ended up being hunted down just like the others when they were not strong enough to protect themselves…"

It was while the woman was talking that he remembered the knife that he still had in his robes. He wondered, seeing as the creature was akin to the mythical un-dead in many respects, if the little silver dagger would be of any use to him. It was slim odds but he didn't have any other plans. He started to judge how long it would take him to reach the dagger, simultaneously hoping that the creature would be so involved in her monologue that she would not see into his thoughts. Then he realised that even if by some miracle he did mange to harm her, he would be far outnumbered by the creatures that encircled them both. He could tell that they would rip him apart if provoked. In other words he would perish whether or not he chose to use the dagger.

"But why her?" he hesitantly interrupted the creature mid sentence.

The creature raised her eyebrows in surprise. "The girl? I would have thought that would be obvious!"

Severus meanwhile started to slowly slide his hand into his pocket and, heart pounding frantically, he grasped the cool metal hilt of the blade.

"…Because you see, through her I could get to you-" then creature paused for a second, her eyes suddenly burning with fury. "DON'T YOU DARE!" she hissed, lunging towards him, throwing him onto the ground. He pulled out the knife and slashed it across her face causing her to reel backwards in pain. Pulling himself up he took the blade and plunged it through her heart. He pulled the knife out and a black substance poured from the wounds of the creature while she screamed in agony. He tried to drag himself away from the writhing creature that was before him but as he tried to move he felt a strange sensation in the side of his ribcage. Looking down he discovered that amidst the murky liquid that covered him there was also a huge gash that had been ripped down the side of his upper body. It bled profusely and it was this final shock that caused the pain finally to hit him. He gasped in agony and realised finally what he had not completely accepted before.

_'I am going to die.'_

That last thought echoed through his head, louder than the screaming demon that was in front of him; it pierced him more so than any blade or tooth, or any emotion that he had ever felt before. Finally the creature fell silent and he watched her body become still as his own life started to slip away from him. Conflicting emotions fought relentlessly in his mind so that he didn't even have any room left for fear as the black-cloaked creatures started to descend. The images around him became blurred as he slipped further and further away and the last thing that his mind could perceive before the final darkness was a young, brown-haired woman who called his name into the night.

……………………………….

"You need to eat something, you need to rest."

"I'm not leaving."

"Hermione, be reasonable dear."

"I don't want to be reasonable, I want to be with him!"

It was six in the morning and Hermione and Mrs Weasley were sitting in a hospital room at St Mungo's.

"It's been nearly five days Hermione, and you've barely slept or eaten. Surely you can leave for an hour or so?" Mrs Weasley pleaded with her in vain.

"I left him once already and I'm not leaving again!" she assured her stubbornly, fed up of repeating the same phrase for the millionth time since Mrs Weasely had arrived a few days ago.

Mrs Weasley shook her head despairingly. "Look dear, if he ever does wake up again-"

"_When _he wakes up again." Hermione corrected her automatically.

Mrs Weasley sighed. "It's just I don't think he would like the idea of someone who he wasn't particularly close to staying with him night and day …you know as well as I do that Severus Snape isn't the sort of man to appreciate sympathy or charity form anyone."

"I can't leave him." Hermione whispered, more to herself than anyone else. She couldn't tell Mrs Weasley about her true feelings towards the man who was lying unconscious in the bed in front of them… She had been her mother-in-law and the death of her son still weighed heavily on her mind, Hermione didn't think she was in the right frame of mind to be able to understand her predicament.

"Look," Mrs Weasley lent over and took her hand in a motherly fashion. "You have been like a daughter to me over the years and I'd hate to see you hurt by a man that is both rude and proud to the point of plain arrogance. No matter how guilty you feel over the incident he won't care to hear your apologies. Besides, none of this was your fault; you need to understand that,"

Hermione nodded, knowing that the little speech was made with Mrs Weasley's best intentions, athough not by any means very comforting.

"If anything he owes you! After all, you were the one who risked your life to find him; you were the one who alerted the Order in time to stop those evil creatures from tearing him apart. Don't you think you've done enough?"

Hermione sighed. "I'm sorry, I have to stay."

Mrs Weasley patted her hand before standing up. "Well I'm certainly not going to let you starve! I'll be back in ten minutes or so with some food and I will refuse to leave until you have eaten every last crumb."

Hermione couldn't resist smiling slightly at this, for at least at the heart of it Mrs Weasley still hadn't changed in spite of the loss of her son. She only wished she could be half as strong as that.

Now the room was empty any remaining traces of good humour vanished as she sank lower into the armchair that had been her home for the last five days. For she knew better than anyone that the chances of Severus ever waking up again were slim. Yet she refused to leave. After all they had been through together it would have seemed a crime to leave now even if she hadn't already fallen in love with him. It killed her just to look over at the hospital bed and see the lifeless form that lay there. She reached over and moved some of his black hair away from his face which, although had always been rather pale, now looked blanched of any remaining colour. It was the rare few times like these she lived for now; when she could be alone with him and with her thoughts. Most of the time members of the Order such as Dumbledore, Harry and the Weasleys had been with her during her constant vigil. Most came to offer condolences and to tempt her away from the beside; Dumbledore was the only one who had shown any real interest in Severus's health. Hermione wouldn't have expected anything else, but nevertheless it did anger her that few bothered to show more gratitude for the man who saved the lives of many others countless times over. Thinking back to the events in both the first and second war against Voldemort, she realised that in that respect some things would never change.

However, as she started to think over the last few years the reminiscing acted as a trigger; memories of the past started to fill her mind and she tried in vain not to cry. "Oh god, why won't you wake up?" she murmured miserably, stroking his cheek with the back of her shaking hand. She then took his nearest hand and held it in her own, using this moment to let the silent tears that she had so often had to hold back the last few days fall unchecked. It was while she was sitting there crying that she felt his hand twitch slightly. She looked up, startled by this sign of life. But nothing else happened. She sighed and looked away again. Then, she felt his hand move again. She glanced at his face and this time she saw a definite flicker in the eyes.

"Severus!" she gasped, not daring to hope for the one thing she longed for. She watched, holding her breath as his head tilted slightly and his eyes slowly opened. He stared at her, blinking several times. She was stunned at this sudden turn of events.

"Severus?" she repeated, this time more hesitant. In truth she hadn't thought about how he would react to her being there, or he she would react to him waking up, mainly due to her newly acquired policy of crossing bridges as she came to them.

In response he smiled that rare crooked smile of his that she had grown so fond of over the years. She smiled back, wondering what she must look like in her tear-stained state but at the same time too happy to care. Leaning in she kissed him softly on the lips.

It was, however, at this rather unfortunate time that Mrs Weasley chose to enter the room once more.

"Hermione, I-" she froze, looking first at Hermione, then at Severus.

Hermione pulled away and glanced at the poor woman. "Mrs Weasley-"

"Oh…I see you're awake, I, I think I should go and get a nurse. Yes." Mrs Weasley turned and left as suddenly as she came, evidently still in shock.

"Poor Molly." Hermione heard Severus comment from beside her, and turning back to face him she noticed the look of wry amusement that had appeared on his face.

She laughed shakily, still smiling. "I can't believe it."

"Nor can I actually. Perhaps now you could fill me in with certain details such as how the hell I am still alive?"

"Of course, I'll explain everything in a moment, but how are you feeling?"

"Dreadful," he grimaced as he made to sit up. "But I think I'll live."

Hermione got up and sat on the edge of the bed. "You should probably get some rest."

"You certainly are calling the kettle black there, Hermione; you look exhausted. Haven't you slept at all?"

She shrugged, now rather embarrassed. "I've been here mostly."

"Foolish girl." he sighed and pulled her in closer towards him.

She smiled apologetically and lay down, curled up against his warm body. Severus started to absentmindedly stroke her hair and eventually, soothed by the feeling of contentment and also due to sheer exestuation, she drifted off while in the arms of a man who she loved and had been willing to die for her.

………………………………....................

**_Well I hope you enjoyed the ending! It was very difficult for me to write and I am so grateful for all the people who have been reviewing this story from the very beginning, it means a lot to me._**

**_I would also like to add that there is a possibility of a sequel to this story in the future, but only if I feel it would be popular, so please review and tell me if you would be interested in reading it!_**


	15. Sequel Note

_He thought that the death of the demon would spell the end of his troubles. He was wrong…it was only the beginning…_

* * *

A quick note to announce that the fist chapter of the sequel to 'The Watcher Of Darkness' is finally up!  
Here's a little sneak preview:

_She felt as if all eyes were on her today. Ridiculous really, considering the fact that people generally have more important things to think about at funerals. But she still didn't__'__t feel at ease. Of course she didn't__'__t. She was at her husband__'__s funeral. Not only that, but she was now with another man: Severus Snape._


End file.
